Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Come one, come all, to witness the super duper cool, hyper epic mega-amazingly awesome origin story of Ruby Rose, soon to be Remnant's greatest superh̶e̶r̶o̶!

Huh. That was odd.

Let's try that again – Remnant's greatest superhero!

Remnant's greatest superhero!

Um.

Remnant's…

Greatest…

Super…

Hero!

Uh oh…that can't be good.

Today was the day.

Coming to Beacon was a dream Ruby had cherished since she was a child, but to get to come to Beacon earlier than everyone else in her year? And not just because of something stupid like a scholarship – it was because she fought a supervillain alongside an epic huntress teacher and impressed the king! Er, headmaster. Still cool, though!

This is the kind of story out of a comic book, Ruby thought. The epic origin story of Remnant's guardian – the Red Reaper!

Ruby stuck out her tongue as she paced back and forth on the airship to Beacon and bit down onto it, deep in ponderous thought. She had until they landed in the courtyards to come up with a better superhero name than the Red Reaper, and she was entirely certain that she could, because that one sucked.

The Red Rose? But it gave away her secret identity.

The Hooded Heroine? That made her sound like she peddled drugs.

The Crimson Crescent? Oh, that one was good. It even had her baby's name in it. Yeah, that was the one.

Ruby patted Crescent Rose on her back for the millionth time, just to make sure it was still there. She knew it was really unlikely that any of the other kids were going to mug her on the first day (that seemed like a rush week 'hazing' kinda thing), but it never hurt to be absolutely sure. Yang had already run off to be with her 'other friends' like the jerk she was, meaning that Ruby had no one to watch her back other than her trusted mechshifter. Tilting her head over her shoulder, she tried her best to keep an eye on said back, specifically the weapon attached to it, but her neck wasn't really flexible enough.

I really need to stop being weird. Everyone's going to see me craning my neck around like a brain-damaged giraffe if I keep checking on Crescent…so one last check on her, and then we're good.

She could see the end of her sniper scythe in its compacted mode when she twisted her neck around, meaning that even though Yang was gone, Ruby still wasn't alone. As long as she had her trusty scythe by her side, nothing could go wrong.

…nothing except her walking into somebody's chest because she was looking over her shoulder at her scythe.

"O-Oh my goodness gracious, I am so sorry!" Ruby frantically said, waving her hands around and looking for Yang. Personal growth be darned, she needed her sister to be here for stuff like this.

The somebody was actually someboy, and he was not looking happy about being bumped into. His face was flushed, so much so that Ruby actually began to wonder if he was going to start shouting at her.

"I'm sorry, mister! I didn't mean to, I swear! I-I-I should've been looking where I was going!"

The boy, a blond haired kid wearing a hoodie, looked like he was about to explode on her.

"I-I was looking for my sister," Ruby lied. "I'm awkward on my own, you see, and Yang has always been the social lubricant that makes my ball bearing rotate smoothly in the sniper rifle of social life."

That was entirely true. For instance, Yang would typically elbow Ruby before she said weird gun metaphors about lubricant and balls like that in front of other people.

The boy's cheeks puffed out.

"Uh…" Ruby's eyes glanced to the left and right rapidly, quickly checking to see if there was anyone else seeing the bizarre behavior of her new acquaintance. "Y-You okay, buddy?"

The stream of vomit that landed all over her hood suggested that he was not.

Miss Goodwitch, the aforementioned supercool huntress from earlier, was kind enough to chaperone Ruby to an empty dormitory building where she could use the showers to clean off when the situation was explained, but no matter how much she scrubbed her clothes, Ruby couldn't seem to remove the acidic smell of vomit. Seriously, what had that kid been eating that made his stomach so rancid? Rotten milk and spoiled fish?

Ruby felt her own tummy warble at the thought of the boy, apparently named Jaune, and his spew getting all over her. It had been super gross, and she was actually glad that Yang hadn't been there with her to see it. Ruby would've died from embarrassment if her sister had been there to witness her first real human interaction at Beacon end in her literally driving a boy to nausea.

As it happened, there weren't many other students on that corner of the airship, meaning that Ruby's utter humiliation had not been witnessed by more than a handful at most. She'd taken up Jaune's offer of his lent hoodie to cover herself when they departed the airship, and in exchange had offered him a quick mint flavored candy out of her packed lunch to clean out the taste of his mouth.

I should've kept the mint, Ruby thought sadly. I think some of it got in MY mouth. EWWWW…oh, I need to stop thinking about it before I'm the one who gets nauseous.

Ruby grabbed her stomach and groaned as she toweled off and donned the spare outfit Miss Goodwitch had offered her. This was not how her superhero origin story was supposed to start.

"You okay, sis?" Yang asked, as they rolled out their sleeping bags in the center of the empty sleeping room.

Ruby forced herself to nod. Her nerves over the whole vomit incident were starting to get to her, and she was now feeling a little bit uneasy as a result of the pressure to not draw any more attention to herself, but Yang didn't need to know that. This ugly new schoolgirl uniform wasn't helping alleviate her stress either – no hood, minimal red, barely any style. It didn't even have a strap on the back for Crescent, leaving Ruby with no other choice but to stow her baby in one of the Beacon lockers.

"You're just looking a little…" Yang struggled for words for a sec. "…pale?"

"I'm always pale," Ruby grunted out, checking her hands and not seeing any abnormalities. "The hood kept sun off my face."

Concern filled her sister's eyes, and Yang placed a hand against Ruby's forehead, brushing off a thin layer of sweat. "Ruby, are you sure you're okay? You don't look so good."

No, she wasn't. It had to be nerves. When Miss Goodwitch had brought her back to the main body of the students, Headmaster Ozpin was already in the middle of his opening remarks. Ruby's entrance into the hall had interrupted his address when she accidentally opened the door too hard and slammed it into a wall. While the practiced man quickly caught himself from his brief stutter in the speech, everyone in the hall had turned to stare at her for that one second.

Ruby cringed. An entire class of hunters had gawked at the stupid little kiddie that had come to the adult school too early and didn't know how to fit in and had dropped her weapon after the speech because her hand had gotten sweaty and she'd ruined her first impressions and they were probably all snickering at her when her back was turned and…

The young huntress gripped her stomach tightly and clenched her teeth so hard that it started to make her gums sore. Her stomach was really roiling now, but if Yang started worrying, Ruby would never hear the end of it. Sitting upright made her feel even worse, so she decided to play it off as exhaustion and curl up in her sleeping bag, turning away from Yang so she couldn't see Ruby's flush face.

"Rubes? You alright?"

She grimaced.

"Yang, I…I'll be fine…"

"I can do it," grunted out Ruby.

"Miss Rose, it's quite alr–"

"I can do it! I can!" barked Ruby, so loudly that the attention of several nearby students came her way. This time, though Ruby didn't balk at the focus being on her, because she was distracted by the weight of the conversation between her and Miss Goodwitch.

"Miss Rose, you're clearly unwell," said the elder teacher, adjusting her glasses with a frown as she peered at a hunched over Ruby.

"She's been like this since last night," said Yang.

"Ya– ghhnnng!"

Traitorous sister – Ruby had been about to curse her out for throwing Ruby to the metaphorical Beowolves, but the pain in her gut forced her to quit midway. Ruby nearly fell to her knees as she desperately bit down on her tongue to prevent any of the sick from rising up out of her esophagus.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't FAIR! Ruby had done nothing wrong, other than apparently standing close to some other student who was prone to heaving all over nearby girls. She'd been nice about it, not bit his head off, done what Miss Goodwitch told her, and now she was being told she didn't get to…to…

"I can do it," pleaded Ruby, fear now present in her voice.

She could barely contain her horror.

They were talking about forcing Ruby to skip out on the test.

"Please, let me…nhhuuuhnnn. HRK!"

A little bit of bile from her stomach forced its way into Ruby's mouth, and she ignored her squeamishness as she swallowed it back down. She knew how this went from back at Signal. You could look cold and clammy all you wanted, but getting sick in front of a teacher was a guaranteed way to be sent home early, and Ruby could not afford to miss this test.

Beacon's initiation, often taking up to three months of preparation, was not something that could be rescheduled for a single case of a minor stomach bug. She'd asked Miss Goodwitch if there was any way for her to be given an alternative assignment when she felt better, to which the reply had been a forlorn negative. Ruby now regretted asking, because she'd more or less confirmed from her own mouth that she wasn't up for it, and the professor wasn't accepting her take-backsies.

Now, they were talking about Ruby skipping altogether until she was sixteen! Her biggest supporters, her own sister and the teacher who'd seen Torchwick get pwned by Ruby, and they were the ones insisting Ruby go and sleep instead of wreck some Grimm. What was the deal with that? She'd just gotten a full night's sleep. Sure, she'd woken up with queasy pain in her gut and mentioned it to Yang before she could think, but she could handle it.

She could!

It was horrible, a complete travesty. To have a dream dangled in front of her, only to be pulled away at the last moment? Horrible!

"Miss Xiao-Long, thank you for walking your sister over to me. I will take things from here."

Miss Goodwitch ushered Yang away with a swift brush of her hand, then took hold of Ruby's shoulder. Yang winced at Ruby's clear discomfort, though Ruby was unsure if it was pity for being sick or sympathy over Goodwitch not letting her take the test. Ruby kind of hoped it was guilt over tattling to the teacher what she had been told in confidence.

"I'll…I'll catch ya later, eh Ruby?"

Ruby just glared at her sister. Traitorous wench…

Yang waved, pretending to be oblivious to her own flesh and blood being escorted away from her hopes and dreams by a cruel, cruel professor/villain. "B-Bye, sis!"

"I can't miss this, ma'am." Ruby weakly tried to push Goodwitch's arm off of her shoulder and stopped walking. "Please, Beacon is my dream."

Ruby stressed the last word, hoping that the emphasis on it might be enough to sway the otherwise rigid teacher.

It was not. "Let's go, Miss Rose."

"Miss Goodwitch, I'll do anything! Another test, another two tests, another hundred tests, anything! Th-This is supposed to be my origin story…"

Goodwitch looked at Ruby with some confusion at the phrasing, but she clearly understood the message that was being conveyed. Sadly, though, understanding was not the same as accepting.

"You'll be able to apply next year, when the term begins," explained Goodwitch. "We simply cannot make another exception for you due to your age."

"So, if I was an older student, you woulda…"

Ruby trailed off. The distant look on Miss Goodwitch's face said everything.

"It's not fair," Ruby grumbled, pressing her nose into her shoulder to wipe it off before it started to dribble, lest they see it get runny and decide she was so sick they needed to kick her out of Signal, too.

The other students were all heading to their initiations with smiles on their faces, completely oblivious to the fact that a little girl was getting her entire life ruined all because of a stupid stomach flu. Ruby wanted to curse out the person responsible for it all, but she didn't know who to yell at.

Yang? Sure, she'd betrayed Ruby and sold her out to the teachers, but she probably thought she was protecting Ruby. In her heart, Ruby knew she was just angry at her sister because she wanted someone to take out her anger on who couldn't be permanently alienated no matter what.

Miss Goodwitch? She seemed sympathetic enough, but Ruby didn't need sympathy. Still, logic told her not to insult the person who was proctoring the test, just in case a miracle came from the heavens and she changed her mind before taking Ruby away.

Ozpin? He wasn't even here, so blaming him felt unfair.

In the end, as Ruby exited the locker room and watched the ambling crowd of soon-to-be huntsmen and huntresses proceed in the opposite direction, she had no one to be mad at. This wasn't anyone's fault. It was just one of those things that happened, one that you couldn't do anything about no matter how hard you tried.

Ruby took one last look at the other students before she left, just to soak in the sight of Beacon's newest class before she lost it for a full year.

She froze.

He…

He was…

The boy! The boy, Jaune, the one who'd gotten her sick by throwing up on her, he was with them!

"S'not fair," Ruby growled lightly. Goodwitch looked at her sideways but said nothing.

It so wasn't fair, though! How come Jaune got to go off and be a huntsman even though he'd gotten her sick? Why wasn't he sharing in her misfortune and misery? If she got sick because of him, that meant he should've also been sick and unable to participate in the initiation. But there he was, joshing around with some irate white-haired girl and making smirks at Pyrrha Nikos and gallivanting off to fight Grimm without a care in the world even though…even though…

"IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Once more, all of the prospective students turned to look at Ruby, but this time, she didn't quail under their attention. Her sneer was visible to the lot of them, and none seemed to know what to make of the sniveling baby having a tantrum. Ruby sneered even harder.

"Miss Rose!" Goodwitch pushed up on her glasses with a sniff. "Please, I understand this is a difficult situation, but please refrain from distracting the other students."

Ruby was about a second away from exploding at the precious other students, at the teachers, at the entire world, when she caught sight of Jaune's face. He wasn't looking at Ruby with smirking disgust like many of the students or with the condescending pity that Yang always had. He instead just seemed to appear…

…sorry.

Suddenly and quite rapidly, Ruby's own suffering was forgotten, and she felt like the baby she feared the other students were seeing her as. It wasn't Jaune's fault he got sick, and if he didn't have to suffer as well and lose out on his initiation, that was a good thing. If he was forced to skip initiation too and lose his place at Beacon, that would've done nothing to make Ruby's life any better. Dust, it would've just taken away another huntsman from being out there and saving people from the Grimm and helping the world become a better place. She was being childish, and for no reason other than that her tummy hurt and she had involuntarily failed a test.

"I…I…I'm sorry, ma'am," Ruby whispered quietly. The crowd had already departed with Ozpin in the direction of a forest on the edge of Beacon while Ruby was having her introspective moment, and she was now alone with the professor.

"It's understandable that you would be perturbed by this turn of events, Miss Rose. I would fain allow you to take a substitute test of some sort, but policies exist to prevent such things. After three separate cases of nepotism in which a headmaster or headmistress scheduled an alternate – and usually easier – initiation test for a family member of close friend, a specific rule was added to the charters of all four academies preventing any deviations from the standardized curriculum."

Ruby scrunched up her brow. "You said it was because I was also younger than average."

Goodwitch sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "The rules are not rigid, and the people who make them aren't monsters. I could lobby the board or the auditors for an exception, but Ozpin once admitted to knowing your uncle, a high-profile figure in his own right, during a highly publicized trial a few years back. Because of the appearance of this case and your advanced entrance to Beacon, it would seem to an external source as though we truly are bending the rules for a friend of the family."

Ruby thought back to how Ozpin had referenced knowing Qrow back at the police station. He'd only offered to let Ruby into Beacon when she'd mentioned having been personally trained in scythe-work by her uncle. Something about that made Ruby feel even queasier.

"A-Am I really a case of despotism?"

Goodwitch tensed up.

"Because of my uncle?" added Ruby.

That seemed to calm her. "It's nepotism, Miss Rose, and you are not. Recall that you aided me in combatting Torchwick and the huntress ally of his. That is an indicator of your talent, and it was for the courage and talent you displayed on that harrowing night that you were accepted into Beacon. Not your familiar relation to Mr. Branwen."

That made Ruby feel a little bit better. Well, it made her heart feel a little bit better, but not her aching guts.

"So, um…what exactly is happening?" Ruby bit her lip. "I mean, what is happening to me? I-I mean, what's going to happen to me?"

"We are not going to simply throw you out into Vale, if that's what you're worried about, Miss Rose. Beacon applicants are all housed in onsite facilities until schooling begins, regardless of their success, failure, or nonparticipation in the initiation test."

Until the term began…assuming that Beacon and Signal worked on the same schedule, that meant Ruby was free to stay until the end of the weekend. She had three days left, since today was a Friday. On the plus side, Ruby would get a chance to explain herself to Yang and maybe pull one or two last epic pranks before she disappeared for two years. On the minus side, she'd be the odd girl out among the crowd of upbeat Beacon-goers for three days. Everyone else would have a team of their own, new friends, and a bright future, and she'd be left with nothing but her shame…

Ruby's stomach made noises that sounded like Zwei's woozy whimpers back when he'd eaten those wild mushrooms. Goodwitch wisely let go of her and stepped back as Ruby fell to her knees, opened her mouth, and aimed it downwards.

…shame and vomit.

If there was one benefit to this whole situation, it was that Ozpin let her go into the Beacon's smithy all by her lonesome as a bit of a consolation prize. Everyone else wasn't going to be allowed into the forges and metallurgist's workshop until their classes began, meaning that Ruby got unfettered access to all the tools, and she didn't have to share them with anyone.

The solitude had initially bummed her out a bit, only serving to reinforce the isolation she felt, but after seeing that they had a rotating auto-sander, a Gravity Dust-stabilized micro-adjustment apparatus, and a dual axis lathe with temperature controls (she'd only ever read about those in magazines!), the depression had flickered away.

When the smoke cleared and Ruby's stomach settled, she'd realized that this didn't have to be the end of her epic origin story. Sure, it was a setback, but Miss Goodwitch had told Ruby she could apply next year when she was sixteen, and that was still a full year earlier than the rest. She wouldn't be Beacon's earliest ever attendee (assuming she got in then), but it was still special. When that time came, Ruby would be sure to have had all her shots, and she would crunch down a few of every type of pill in dad's medicine cabinet, just to be sure she didn't get unwell the second time around. Next year, there would be no stomach bugs or sick Jaunes or nothing; the only factor affecting whether she passed would be her skills and her baby.

To that end, Ruby was taking full advantage of Beacon's advanced facilities to tune up Crescent in an attempt to start upgrading early and ensure she was ready when the time came. The scope on her sniper was already perfect, but that didn't mean it couldn't be more perfecter as she installed an adjustable stock with the interwoven fiber grip that would hopefully enhance her aim. She already had the parts, but getting the screws to fit had been a bit of a challenge back at home on Patch using the plain old screwdrivers. It was much easier at Beacon, where the toolbox had a forty-five degree bradawl for every size of screw in the known universe.

Putting on the finishing touches, Ruby tested out the new and improved Crescent Rose. The stock seemed to have integrated perfectly without any swelling on the body of the scythe, and Ruby couldn't see any evidence of warping on the scope or handle.

Time to test it out with some live ammo.

Ruby leaned across the workbench to grab the half-empty magazine she'd been using. There was no need to actually fire Crescent, certainly not in the smithy, but loading a bullet into the chamber was easily the fastest way to tell if she'd made any mistakes. If it went in, she was good. If it got stuck or jammed, she knew that something was out of place. If she couldn't even load it into the chamber, she would probably need to disassemble the entire gun and start from scratch, given how fine these Beacon parts were. As much as Ruby loved spending time with her weapon, the thought of having to break it down all the way and lose all the customized adjustments she'd made along the way terrified her something fierce.

Please work, Ruby silently prayed as she picked up the first shot. C'mon, I deserve something to go right.

The bullet went in. That was good.

Ruby pulled back, holding her breath…

Click!

"Yes!" Ruby screamed, throwing her arms and the sniper they held into the air in victory. "I did it! All hail Her Royal Highness Ruby Rose, mega-queen of firearms mods!"

"Long live the queen," cackled a voice behind her.

Ruby hadn't been expecting anyone to be in the room with her (Ozpin had assured her that her work would go undisturbed), so the presence of another person, even one as familiar as her uncle, startled her. It certainly didn't help that she'd been hyper-focused on the fine procedure of inserting the screws for the past half-hour. Her gun slipped from her hands and was about to clatter on the floor when Ruby rushed her foot forward at semblance super-speed to kick it upwards. It wasn't the epic save she'd been hoping, as her baby was sent flying forwards towards the empty table, and Ruby had to scramble forwards to catch it before it went past the edge on the side opposite her and landed on the ground. Her stomach painfully impacted with the wooden edge of the table in her haste, and a bottle of vacuum oil got knocked over by her elbow to spill all over the floor, but she managed to clutch of her scythe, and not a moment too soon. The sharpened blade was less than a whisker away from the leg of a table when she got hold of it.

"Looks like our queen's a bit of a klutz, ain't she?"

"Uncle Qrow, I swear to Grimm!" Ruby set down Crescent, carefully this time, and turned around to face her miscreant of an uncle. "What if I dropped Crescent?"

Qrow held up his hands in mock horror. "Shucks, that mighta ended the universe as we know it. I'm real sorry, kiddo."

"It's not a joke, you dum-dum. You're lucky no one got hurt. Guns aren't toys."

Qrow snorted at that, and Ruby had to fight down her defensiveness when he mumbled something about her playing with them like they were.

Ruby ran her fingers along the new and improved stock. "She could've misfired and taken your eye out, and let me tell you: you aren't cool enough to rock an eyepatch."

Qrow snorted. "Yeah, I think I'll be just fine, kiddo. Question is, will you?"

Ruby looked at her workbench, where the bradawls and the old scope from before the upgrade were splayed out. "I'm okay, but you made me knock over all my –"

"I didn't fly out from Patch to talk 'bout yer tools, pipsqueak."

Ruby let out a deep sigh. "I'm fine, Uncle Qrow. My stomach isn't acting up anymore. Well, it is a bit sore, but only because I bumped into the table when you came in." She stuck out her tongue.

Qrow drummed his fingertips on the flash at his hip but didn't take it out. "Didn't fly out to talk about your rumbly tummy either."

Tiny hands balled up into tiny fists, and Ruby turned away from her uncle to start working on her gun once more. "Then why did you fly out all this way? Just to bring up how much of a loser I am?"

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "The only loser I see is the one in the reflection of the buzz saw on the wall."

"I had a one in a million chance to get into Beacon two whole years early, and I blew it." Ruby disconnected the steadying mechanism from the blunt side of Crescent's curved blade and began to polish it with a rag. "There's no way I'm not just as much of a loser as you are."

"Yowch. I'm pretty sure I felt the sting from that one."

She shrugged. "Hey, you said it first, not me."

"I was bein' encouraging."

Ruby couldn't see Qrow drinking behind her, but she heard the telltale chugging that signaled his impersonation of happy hour. She checked the clock in the corner of the room – 3pm. He sure was starting early today.

Must be to drown out the disappointment from his niece being so pissy at him over a failed test that wasn't his fault.

"I'm sorry, Qrow." Ruby set down Crescent Rose and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm just…if I'd failed, I might've been able to accept that. I can handle not being good enough. But I never even got a chance. And then there were all these rules from Miss Goodwitch outlining exactly why it was so important that I wasn't allowed to have a second chance even though I never got a first one, and I got mad at Yang betraying me, and I got even madder at myself for being upset with Yang even though she was only looking out for me, and all the other students were staring at me…"

Qrow clicked his tongue. "Sounds like a lo–"

"…and Mr. Ozpin bent the rules so much already for me to be here, so I feel like I'm letting him down, and the way everyone just looks at me with such pity rubs me the wrong way, like I'm some infant diaper baby who can't be mature about it, and…and…and…"

"Kid…"

"I thought I could be over it if I tried." Ruby heard her own voice start to rise along with her temper, even though she didn't want either of them to. "I thought I could move on, but I just can't! Every second I'm not spending on tuning of Crescent, I'm worrying about how I'm going to go back to Signal and come to terms with the fact that I failed."

Her fingers tightened around Crescent Rose so tightly they started to shake, one hand on the shaft and the other on the blade. The anger that she'd been so mature about quashing down until now started to seep out.

"It wasn't fair," Ruby growled.

Her right hand was starting to hurt from how firmly she was gripping the scythe end of her weapon, but she didn't care. Class started tomorrow for all the other kids, but poor little Ruby had to slink back home in disgrace because of some stupid bacteria in her stupid intestines.

"IT WASN'T FAIR!" Ruby screamed, throwing down her weapon in her anger.

CLUNN-AAANG!

Crescent Rose hitting the workbench made so much noise that Ruby actually fell backwards onto her butt. Even though she was the one who hurled it down, she hadn't been expecting the explosive clatter, nor had she been expecting the sawblade hanging on the wall over to the side to come crashing down at the same exact time. Huh. Weird coincidence.

"Ghhh…R-Ru…"

Ruby picked herself up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry to take all this out on you, Uncle Qrow. I just haven't really had a chance to talk to anyone else about it. Yang doesn't understand, even though she says she –"

"Ru…ehhhyy…"

Something about the gurgly way Qrow was speaking made Ruby turn in his direction.

He…

Was that blood?

Her lips started to spurt out words as her brain tried to make sense of the scene in front of her. "U-Uncle –"

"R…"

Why is there blood?

Ruby felt her panic rising.

Why is Uncle Qrow's neck bloody?

Her eyes darted around the room, desperate to make sense of the scene before her, and they eventually landed on the sawblade that had fallen down. There was a small dent in it.

If Crescent misfired and ricocheted…but the odds would be impossible! One in a billion! It would have to be the worst luck in the world for a misfired gun to go off at just the right angle to hit an even surface and hit a critical body part!

As Ruby scrambled to deny reality, Qrow collapsed, still clutching at his throat. A single bloodied hand reached out to his beloved niece, and then dropped to the floor. It was the kind of thing that Ruby would have teased him about for overdramatizing if not for the fact that the blood coming out of his neck was real.

There was silence for a moment.

And then Ruby screamed.

She screamed for what felt like hours, but it was probably only a minute or two.

She screamed until her throat was hoarse.

She screamed even when Ozpin and Goodwitch rushed into the room.

She screamed her lungs out.

She screamed, because this? This wasn't the kind of origin story that a superhero got.

This was the origin story of a supervillain.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Task

And now, some tone-deaf jokes to remind us that this fic is a comedy:

Welcome to Ruby's Life Hacks, an interactive programme in which you shall be exposed to the greatest fount of wisdom on Remnant – me, Ruby Rose! These self-help tricks/time-saving formulas for success at the end of every chapter are guaranteed to make your problems flutter away faster than my semblance's rose petals in the wind!

(author's note – These tips are jokes. Do not ever follow any one of them.)

Ruby's Tip #45 – Keep forgetting where you parked in a crowded lot? Write your name on the bottom of your car in permanent marker.

Ruby's Tip #318 – Always save your receipts. They make excellent fire starter, and kindling can be expensive.

Chapter Text

"Miss Rose, wha–"

"Why is –"

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Ruby couldn't even hear whatever Ms. Goodwitch and Mr. Ozpin were shouting at her, for she was screaming her lungs out far too loudly. It didn't matter what they said, though, because no words could undo this. Nothing could change what she'd done.

"AIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEYAAAAHHHHUHUHHHUH!"

Her terrified shrieking only ended when she ran out of horror and was left with nothing but everything else. Panic, guilt, sorrow, shame – all of them mixed around inside of her, churning around within her broken heart. The howls turned into choked sobs as Ruby's life as she knew it ended before her very eyes.

There was blood. There was blood in the room.

Ruby shut her eyes.

The blood was still there. No, no, no, no, please no!

She'd…

Huntresses weren't supposed to…

"…Rose? Can you hear me? Please, you need to breath, or you're going to pass out!"

The world came back into focus as she opened her eyes, but she could barely even keep herself from flopping down and weeping.

Ozpin was checking Qrow for a pulse and trying to stop the bleeding with his coat, but Ruby knew the truth: her uncle was gone, and it was all her fault. Miss Goodwitch, on the other hand, was close to Ruby, far too close for her comfort. Ruby wanted them to go away. She wanted everything to go away.

"…nghhh…"

"Miss Rose, I'm going to use my semblance to restrain you for your own safety. Please, try to relax your body."

Miss Goodwitch was restraining her…that meant…

Good. Ruby belonged in prison. Huntresses were supposed to save people, not kill them in cold blood.

The telekinetic grip was a welcome blessing, for it robbed Ruby of any control over her actions. Before it, she hadn't known what to do: scream, cry, kick her legs, flail about, try to tear her eyes out, wither away and die. Now, she could just take solace in the complete absence of choice. Her only option was to be entirely still and not move at all, according to the will of the greater huntress.

"Miss Rose, can you hear me? Please blink your eyes once if you can."

Ruby didn't blink.

Miss Goodwitch stepped in front of Ruby, blocking her view of the headmaster and her uncle's…a-and her uncle. "I'm going to release you for a moment, but I would ask that you do your best to please stay calm. I know that this advice may seem extraordinarily difficult to follow, but if we are to assist your properly, we need you to stop screaming."

Ruby didn't blink.

…what was Miss Goodwitch asking her to do?

The unseen force that had gripped her arms, legs, face, and torso ceased, and Ruby felt herself slump back into the sitting position she'd been frozen in before it was enforced. Ruby was tempted to give in to her body's involuntary urges and start screaming again, but Miss Goodwitch's unyielding gaze stopped her. Instincts to obey a teacher's commands that had been ingrained into her since she was a little girl kicked in, and Ruby remained silent.

Quickly, she looked down at her hands. There wasn't any blood on them. But hadn't…why wasn't…

"Miss Rose," Professor Goodwitch breathed, somehow calm despite it all. "I'm going to ask you some questions. You need not answer them verbally if you feel unfit. Please just nod or shake your head."

Someone had died. How come there wasn't blood on her hands? Where was the blood from the gunshot? Where had it gone?

Ruby couldn't blink.

"Did you see someone attack your uncle?"

Ruby tried to lean to her right and look at the gory scene she knew her once-prospective teacher was blocking with her body, but Miss Goodwitch foresaw the motion and adjusted her crouched posture to keep herself in the way. Somehow, Ruby managed to meet her eyes and eke out a shake of her head.

"Was there anyone else in the room? Anyone at all?"

For the life of her, Ruby couldn't see what Miss Goodwitch was trying to ask, or why that would matter. Words like 'witnesses' and 'evidence' tumbled around in the back of her head, but that stuff seemed so far away. It was meant to be done by the police, days and weeks after the crime. Her uncle might've still been twitching, for all Ruby knew; she couldn't see him.

"Let me backtrack. Was Qrow like this when you found him?"

Ruby's lips trembled. "W-What?"

Calm and collected, Ozpin's voice came from across the room. "Miss Goodwitch."

"It could've been her doing, headmaster," Goodwitch hissed, but not apparently angry at anyone in the room. "Qrow was set to –"

"Glynda."

The older woman looked over her shoulder back at her employer, and Ruby took the chance to sneak a quick peak at oooohhhhh nononononononono.

She couldn't keep herself together. Ruby fell flat into a heap and began to hack up bitter stomach acid onto the ground. There was so much blood, sooooo much blood, whyyyyyyyyy…she couldn't help but cry some more.

Professor Goodwitch rushed to cradle her, paralleling the way Ozpin had been holding Qrow in the brief moment she'd seen. "Miss Rose! Come, we should get you away from here."

Ruby tried to speak, desperate to say something, but her vocal cords failed her, and she just started coughing even more.

"It's going to be okay, Miss Rose. You'll be safe. We can protec–"

"Glynda!" Ozpin said sharply.

She turned once more. "What?!"

"The wounds…" Ozpin trailed off.

"I-I-I didn't…I wasn't…I didn't mean…to," Ruby whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

"The wounds are consistent with…"

Ruby didn't need to hear Ozpin finish.

For reason's Ruby couldn't fathom, Ozpin had decided to interview her about what happened right in the same smithy where her uncle had died. With the bloody body still there, covered by the tarp that was meant to protect the drill-press when it was turned off for the night.

Miss Goodwitch didn't seem to fathom the reasons either.

"Sir, please. She's just a child, we need to take her away from here!"

Seated on a stool in the corner of the room, Ruby let out a pained sob, horrified at both herself and the implications of what the teacher was saying.

"Hnnnnnnnooo…" she wailed. "Nnnnnnoooooo! I dinnn mean tuu!"

Goodwitch's head rapidly swiveled towards Ruby, fear on her face. "I…I don't mean that we are going to…let me clarify. There is no doubt in my mind that this was an accident. A tragic accident, for which you should not be blamed. You shall not be imprisoned or otherwise censored for what has happened here."

Prison. From Beacon to nothing to jail. Ruby wanted nothing more than to run over to Crescent Rose and try to pretend everything was just a dream.

…but Crescent was the gun that had…

"No," she whined softly once more. Goodwitch looked at her with sheer sympathy.

Ozpin, on the other hand, didn't seem to be willing to meet Ruby's eyes, though it wasn't out of any guilt or disappointment. He was rapidly pacing back and forth, toying with his glasses as he mumbled words Ruby could barely hear. It honestly seemed like he had forgotten he wasn't alone in the room as he spoke to himself.

"Sniper…must've been Qrow's semblance…visible wounds, recognizable…diagnosis of chronic…ballistically traceable…less than a week…"

"Sir, I'm going to take Miss Rose to the –"

"NO!" Ozpin barked, suddenly turning to face the two huntresses. He cleared his throat, adjusted the glasses on his nose, and looked away. "No, she cannot leave. Not until I have finished considering…all of our options."

"Options?" asked Ruby.

"One week…student body…Salem…"

Goodwitch tensed up at the last word, as though every muscle in her body was suddenly shocked with a zap of electricity. Her eyes rapidly began to alternate between Ruby and Ozpin, and a look of sheer astonishment developed on her face.

"Headmaster. Miss Rose has nothing to do with…her, sir. Sir? Sir, you cannot believe that Miss Rose has fallen under the influence of…one such as her."

Ozpin brushed a hand distractedly in his deputy's general direction. "Of course not, of course not."

Ruby was starting to feel antsy about being a part of this closed-doors conversation that was apparently going to decide her fate, but she couldn't find the strength in herself to speak up. These were the adults; they would know what was supposed to happen. Ruby was just a kid.

A kid who had…

Ozpin beckoned Goodwitch over with a finger and a solemn face. As the two came together and began to speak in hushed but steely tones, Ruby took the time to ponder the ramifications of her actions.

Qrow was dead. That meant that Ruby had accidentally torn apart her family because of her stupid temper at failing a stupid test. He wasn't even her uncle by blood, and she'd torn him away from his real niece without a second thought. And dad, Uncle Qrow's only remaining teammate, what was he going to think?

Beacon was obviously gone forever, but Ruby couldn't bring herself to think about something as selfish as her own ruined career when the man who'd raised her from babyhood lay dead not eight feet away. If Ruby were to place a hand to his cheek, she imagined it would still be warm.

Qrow was a huntsman, and an exceptional one at that. With him gone, Signal was going to be down a teacher. All that knowledge, all those students he could have nurtured into huntsmen and huntresses, all gone. And Signal was part of the pipeline to Beacon – oh Dust, this was going to impact the kingdom as a whole. Less hunters meant less safety, and people were going to get hurt, and even more lives would be lost because of Ruby.

She didn't even realize she'd interrupted the two teachers by squeaking in sorrow until they both turned to look at her.

Goodwitch frowned sorrowfully. "Miss Rose…"

"I'm sorry," Ruby just barely managed to spit out. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"…I think we may need your help."

"…of each academy. Now, each of these vaults can only be opened by one person – the maidens that I mentioned prior. Within them are artifacts of immense powers, referred to as relics."

Ruby frowned and rubbed her red eyes as she tried to keep up. "Are…Are the, uh, relics weapons? Or something?"

"Let's go with 'or something,'" said Ozpin.

Ruby had always been a visual learner, and she wanted nothing more than to draw up a diagram of how these many different features – maidens, relics, vaults – interacted with one another. Unfortunately, the headmaster had told her that it was all too secret for her to have any written notes, so that idea was shot down before it ever had a chance to fly.

So far, she kind of understood what he was saying. The fairytale of the maidens was real, meaning that there were four superhuntresses rummaging about the world somewhere, and they could go to these secret basements at the bottom of each of the main schools. Inside these basements, Ozpin had hidden relics, and the relics did…stuff. The huntsman seemed hesitant to elaborate on the specifics.

"Okay, I think I get it." Ruby repeated what she had so far, just to make sure it was all correct.

Ozpin nodded. "Excellent. Now, that is the theoretical framework for the situation. What I am going to explain next is the problem."

Ruby nodded.

"We hope that you…" Miss Goodwitch pointed at Ruby "…might be a solution."

"Please try to follow along as closely as you can," requested Ozpin. "This is meant as no slight to your attention, but merely to highlight just how time sensitive our situation is becoming. Classes will be starting in just a few hours."

The three of them had been in the smithy for many hours, giving Ruby enough time to calm down slightly over her panic regarding Uncle Qrow. The two teachers had repeatedly reassured Ruby that they did not blame her for what had happened, and that was starting to help convince Ruby not to blame herself. Plus, having Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch outline the details of this real life storybook-like tale had forced Ruby to distract herself from what had happened just earlier today (technically yesterday, because it was now about 3am in the morning of the next day). She hadn't gotten any sleep in nearly a full 24 hours now, and her eyes were now red in equal parts from crying and staying awake for so long.

"Not to interrupt," Ruby said, interrupting. "But, if this stuff is so important, couldn't you get substitute teachers? Like, I get that classes matter, and I'm not trying to say time with me is worth more than the other students and their educations and all, but…someone is dead, and you're talking about superpowers and artifacts that can do, uh, whatever important stuff it is that you can't tell me." She rubbed both eyes. "Doesn't that take priority over classes?"

"If we are to enact what we have in mind, it must take place before you would be typically scheduled to leave Beacon," said Miss Goodwitch with a sigh. "Which is 6am today."

"Please, we've no more time, and there is preparatory work that must be done as well," said Ozpin. "Listen closely. The relics, and thereby the maidens as well, are sought by an immortal being known as Salem. She has the raw magical talent equivalent to the combined strength of the four maidens, and her abilities include the control of Grimm to boot."

If they hadn't specifically stressed how important it was to pay attention, Ruby would have been sorely tempted to tune out right then and there. If they thought that she was supposed to be the supposed solution to this invincible enemy they were describing, they were in for an unpleasant surprise. There was no way Ruby could fight someone like that. Heck, she'd struggled to stop Torchwick!

"Three of the maidens are under our command – us, in this instance, referring to those loyal to the academies and the side of humanity and opposed to Salem's influence," said Miss Goodwitch. "The good guys, if you will."

"Fria, the Winter Maiden, is in Atlas with General Ironwood and Specialist Winter Schnee, who are allied with us towards impeding Salem's efforts. The Summer Maiden is living in Vacuo in a location so secret that only Headmaster Theodore and his deputy Miss Rumpole know of it. Glynda and I command the Fall Maiden, a young woman named Amber."

"Qrow is a member of our…" Goodwitch paused midsentence.

Ozpin continued for her. "Qrow was a member of our cabal. He was going to be shadowing Amber for the next few days during her travels to visit some family, but…he cannot."

Ruby felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over her. Not only had she hurt her uncle, who'd never done wrong by her once in his entire life, but she'd endangered these super important maiden women by her reckless actions. She'd chided Qrow for gun safety and then ignored it right –

"Miss Rose. Please focus."

Ruby's cheeks reddened. "I apologize. D-Do you want me to be the one who watches over Amber, then?"

It didn't make sense to have a child watching a trained huntress who could use magic, because there would be nothing Ruby could defend Amber from that the maiden herself wouldn't be able to just obliterate on her own. However, they'd said they needed Ruby to do something, and with Qrow…and with Amber going about unguarded, that seemed like the most likely thing.

"No," said Ozpin immediately, ending that train of thought. "You are not being asked to resume Qrow's duties or missions. We shall simply recall Amber. She may be unhappy at first, but the extenuating circumstances shall be enough to convince her to delay her trip."

Extenuating circumstances.

Those extenuating circumstances were lying in a pool of their own blood on the other side of the room.

"Then what should I do?"

"What we want from you is to locate and contain the Spring Maiden," answered Miss Goodwitch, to Ruby's great surprise. "She went missing many years prior, before you were even born. If possible, we would like for you to bring her in. If not, you shall have to claim the powers for yourself to secure the vault in Haven."

"The relic in Mistral is unique," said Ozpin. "It can grant limitless knowledge. In theory, if acquired, Salem might be able to use it to locate all of the other maidens and relics. This could spell the literal end of the world, Miss Rose. I cannot impress upon you enough how vital it is to our –"

"You can, and you have," said Ruby. "Y-You're asking me to…to…to maybe kill someone."

Ruby had been expecting guilt, shock, or perhaps even sheepishness, but there was nothing she could have done to anticipate the accepting nods from not one but both teachers. Miss Goodwitch had acted hesitant before, but now she seemed to be fully on board with the plan.

"Okay," said Ruby, trying to make herself sound confident. "I'll do it, I guess. I'll find her and…I'll do it."

"No," said Miss Goodwitch almost instantly. "You won't. The four headmasters, especially Leonardo Lionheart, have been searching for the Spring Maiden for years. They have so far made no progress. We do not expect you to fail where they have succeeded."

"But –"

"Our own investigation shall continue," explained Ozpin. "And if we locate the Spring Maiden, there shall be no threat."

Ruby blinked. But hadn't she said –

"However, if Salem finds her first, all could be lost."

"O-Okay."

Goodwitch reached up and removed her glasses.

"Which is why Headmaster Ozpin is…why we both are asking you to infiltrate Salem's inner circle, gain her loyalty, and present yourself as a candidate host for the maiden powers."

Ruby watched Ozpin leave the smithy. He apparently had to go prepare the rest of this mysterious plan of theirs from elsewhere, leaving Ruby to hear the remainder of the explanation from Miss Goodwitch.

"Y-You know I'm not a spy. R-Right?"

"You lack training, true," said the professor. "And age. And maturity. But what you lack in those categories, you make up for in circumstantial opportunity. That is what you offer."

Ruby didn't like the sound of that, given how the only circumstance she'd recently found herself in was getting kicked out of Beacon for catching the flu and the accidentally shooting her uncle in the throat.

"I shan't lie to you, Miss Rose. You are too young for this, and we are asking the world of you. But the people of Remnant are endangered, and Ozpin and I have oft had to sacrifice our own morality by offering the burden of maiden powers to hosts even younger than you are in times of desperation. Amber was only six years of age when the prior Fall Maiden selected her for the powers."

Ruby quite heartily agreed with the first part of Miss Goodwitch's rant on the ethics of this – she was too young. At fifteen, she wasn't even supposed to be able to be at a Huntsman Academy, let alone pulling off missions that pro-hunters would balk at. Tricking the immortal supreme leader of the Grimm? Impossible!

But…

Uncle Qrow was a part of this. He had been a part of Ozpin's inner circle, which meant that he'd trusted the man enough to not only obey him but to keep it secret from Ruby and Yang on his orders. Qrow told his nieces everything, so if this super secret stuff was important enough for him to hide it from them, it must've mattered more than anything to him.

With Qrow gone, they were going to need someone to fill in his spot. Ruby may have been woefully underprepared for such a role, but she had always planned on becoming a huntress. Huntresses protected people, and staving off the apocalypse from a relic-wielding witch probably feel under the category of protecting people.

And if she failed, she didn't have all that much else to look forward to in life anymore.

"Okay," said Ruby. "Okay, I'll d–"

"Stop," said Goodwitch, raising her hand with a weak smile that looked like it was about to fragment. "Please stop agreeing before you fully understand what we are asking of you. This is not a cinematic adventure or whimsical comic book. If you are looking for something of that sort here, you will be unlikely to find it. The only reward at the end is the knowledge that what you have done has protected the world. I have agreed with this plan because I hope it might alleviate some of your guilt by giving you the opportunity to do good in the world, but know that it will be a grueling ordeal that shall test your resolve."

Ruby nodded, waiting for her to continue. The alleviating guilt part raised Ruby's spirits a bit. She wasn't going to go into this looking for redemption, but maybe it would be there are then end if she succeeded. A girl could hope…

"Talented candidates for maiden powers are few and far between, and even rarer are those viable to be snatched up by Salem. You find yourself in the rare position of being both. If she does dispatch one of her agents to claim you as an underling, you will have to simultaneously feign shock at Salem's existence, play dumb when the nature of maidens, relics, and vaults are gradually explained to you from her, and distinguish yourself as her most competent servant in order to gain her trust. However, these will be the easy tasks."

They didn't sound easy, which filled Ruby with dread regarding the 'difficult tasks.'

"The challenging part will be what is asked of your spiritually. Salem will insist you prove yourself by performing unforgivable acts of violence and wanton destruction, and you must comply without question. You cannot hesitate or show any guilt for your actions. You will be asked to side with the Grimm and murder with a smile on your face. Your actions will inspire disgust in the population of Remnant, and good people will come to revile you – even your friends and family. You will have to turn down opportunities to save those imperiled by Salem's plans. By the Grimm, you and I may even come to blows at some point in the future."

It was slowly starting to look less and less appealing. Ruby wasn't sure she would be able to hurt innocent people, even if she knew it was for a good cause. Sure, it might sound easy on paper, but she knew that when the moment came, she would almost certainly freeze up.

"The important thing to remember is that recovering the powers of the Spring Maiden can and will save the whole world. No other victory, no other intelligence, no other individual is worth more. Only when you have the powers can you return to Beacon, where I can clear your name and absolve your guilt. You cannot abandon your mission pre-emptively when you discover Salem has made a plot to assassinate a councilman of Vale, or when you hear of an attempt to kidnap the premiere of Vacuo, or when you are made privy to the names of spies within the academies, or when you are made aware of the fact that waves of Grimm are on their way to Patch."

"A-Are –"

"I am providing possible examples of what you might hear," Goodwitch said sternly, adjusting her glasses as she raised an eyebrow. "And from your voice wavering, I wonder if you are fit for this task if such theoretical descriptions disturb you so."

Ruby shook her head. She wasn't sure if she could do this, but it seemed like the best way to honor Qrow's memory – by picking up where he left off and seeing his last work through to completion. The people of Remnant would benefit from this, and Ruby's soul was a smile price to pay for that. Besides, she'd already killed once for a stupid reason. Killing for a good reason would hopefully be easier.

"Miss Rose, I will ask you this once, and there will be no going back. We stand on the precipice of executing this plan, and to do so, we shall have to invest further resources into it – or you call it quits here and now. So tell me: are you going to be able to do this?"

Coming Soon – Ruby's Cover

And now, a tip from Ruby:

· Ruby's Tip #185 – Working with fireworks can be dangerous. Thus, before starting, always strike up a match to ensure you have enough light to clearly see your surroundings.

Chapter Text

Ruby wanted to change her mind.

Ruby wanted to go back and say 'no.'

Ruby wanted to turn back time and tell Miss Goodwitch that she wasn't going to be able to do it.

Ruby wanted so much, but she wasn't going to be getting any of it.

The worst part was, she didn't need a time machine to get out of this. She could easily just explain to the professor that she'd changed her mind upon hearing exactly how she'd be expected to garner Salem's interest in her, but she didn't. She couldn't. Rather, she felt like she couldn't, even though she easily could.

It was now 7am, when all of the students of Beacon had had enough time to shower, get dressed, and make their way to the cafeteria, where Ruby currently sat waiting, for some breakfast before their first classes started at 8am. They were essential for this part of his plan, because with so many witnesses, it would be inevitable that the rumors of her actions would somehow trickle their way to Salem's ears. Ruby was going to be dangling herself in front of the evil witch and counting on the fact that what she had done and was about to do would be enough to prove to Salem that she was worthy to be an evil minion.

The plan made sense. Ruby understood each and every aspect of it. The issue would be in whether or not she would be able to pull it off without collapsing into a heap and crying herself into oblivion.

The only thing that kept her going was the knowledge that this would make Uncle Qrow's death mean something. If she gave up now, he would have died because of an accident. He would get a funeral attended by a teary-eyed niece, a nice burial in Patch next to Mom, and a meaningless end to his story. On the other hand, if Ruby went the rest of the way and got the precious maiden powers, his untimely demise would become a part of stopping Salem. Ruby liked to think that he would've appreciated that.

Appreciate his death – what a joke. He would hate me for killing him if he were here.

Ruby forced herself to exhale.

I know that's not true. Qrow would do everything in his power to try and console me. When I unlocked my semblance and headbutted him in the stomach at superspeed, he took me out to ice cream just so I didn't feel as bad about accidentally hurting him. He always tried to make me feel better when I was down, and I know for a fact that he wouldn't have held an accident against me.

Knowing that didn't make the guilt go away.

The sounds of voices could be heard from the other side of the doors of the cafeteria. Ruby braced herself for them to open. She knew that Ozpin was going to be among the students, having manufactured some reason to be present today – probably something along the lines of ensuring the new first years had a welcome time on their first day at Beacon. They wouldn't, though, not when they saw Ruby.

The hardest part was knowing that Yang could easily be among the crowd. If she had to see what Ruby was going to do, it would scar her for life. She could just as easily not be with them, but given how poorly Ruby's luck had been going these past few days, Ruby didn't expect the universe to be doing her any favors.

If Yang was among the students, Ruby wouldn't be able to react. She wouldn't be able to flinch. Any weakness, any hesitation, could jeopardize everything about their plans. Miss Goodwitch had drilled the importance of making it believable, and they'd even gone through some exercise where she'd made Ruby practice keeping a straight face as she'd said vividly described some horrible scenarios.

The door handle turned.

"I'm sorry," Ruby whispered to Uncle Qrow's body next to her. "You worked for Ozpin. I hope you understand. I'm so sorry."

The door opened.

"…so old that I can't sit with my charges once in a while," Ozpin said congenially. "Besides, I do need to eat, and Eugene, the head chef of Beacon, makes an excellent breakfast patty melt. That crab Faunus has a gift, I tell you."

Weiss smiled along with the headmaster. She and her teammates had been heading to the canteen for their morning meal when the primary educator at their school had bumped into them on his way to the same place. He had offered to walk with them, and he'd even been so kind as to regale them with some funny stories of his exploits as a teacher and huntsman. They'd actually accumulated quite a crowd among them, as nearly five other teams all had wanted to either hear the headmaster's stories or perhaps just schmooze with the man who decided their grades.

He opened the door to the canteen and stepped through. "Now, if we…oh my Gods!"

At the headmaster's exclamation, Weiss's head, along with the heads of her three teammates, rapidly snapped towards the empty cafeteria.

Except it wasn't empty.

There were two people inside, seated atop a large table at the center of the room. One was that little troublemaker from before, oversized gardening tool and all. Instead of a ratty school uniform, though, she was now clad in an edgy goth outfit with a viciously bright hood and cap. Weiss recalled thinking that the red child had looked like trouble and had taken steps to avoid her altogether, and that instinct had proven most accurate. The immature little beast had not only made a scene over a minor bout of sickness, something Weiss could have easily stomached without incident, but she had somehow managed to get herself kicked out of Beacon before the initiation test had even taken place.

The other person was…

Wait, is that…dried blood?

"Hey Ozpin," said the little rapscallion, a wicked smile on her face. Her voice carried throughout the empty hall. "Have a look at the present I brought you. Only the best for you, and Qrow's supposed to be the best of the best."

She placed a hand on the back of the bloodied man, whose eyes were closed, and pushed forward. He slumped to the floor, and more fresh blood flowed out of his neck.

The little girl spared Weiss and her team a passing glance but focused back on Ozpin after less than a second. "Still think I'm not good enough for Beacon?"

Weiss screamed, but not louder than her blonde partner.

It took every ounce of self-control in Ruby's body not to cringe as she was forced to dump Qrow's corpse aside. Ozpin, his face visible only to her, offered her one final reassuring nod, before steeling it up and pounding his cane into the ground. That was the last genuine expression she was going to be getting from him; from hence forth, the show was on.

Miss Goodwitch had explained the truth to Ruby. Ozpin had something of a rare resurrection semblance, meaning that when he died, it wasn't permanent. Salem knew this, but apparently his death would still be enough proof of Ruby's false evilness to sell the story. She'd briefly worried that it wouldn't be enough, but Miss Goodwitch had explained to Ruby that she wasn't supposed to know that death was little more than a minor delay for Ozpin, so Ruby killing him would cement her cover story.

A reincarnation semblance seemed a little too convenient, but Ruby didn't think that Ozpin was just going to kill himself so casually if he lacked some way to, you know, offset death a little. The way he and his deputy had explained their plan to Ruby was just too natural for it to be some sort of secret deception. Ruby didn't doubt that this was all true, even though she had such a hard to wrapping her mind around all of the magic and maidens.

Yang was screeching her head off, but Ruby knew it would all be for nothing if she ran over to her sister and begged for forgiveness like she so desperately wished wanted needed to. She and her team took a few steps forward, but Ozpin blocked them with a hand.

"Students, stand back. Miss Xiao-Long, please get Professor Goodwitch. Miss Schnee, please keep the other students back. I will handle this myself."

A black-bowed student opened her mouth to protest and reached for her sword (one that was kinda super cool looking, but Ruby was too busy to think about that), but Ozpin slammed his cane down into the floor so loud that the floorboards cracked under his mighty impact.

"This is too dangerous for children!" he roared. "Get back, now, all of you!"

As the students ignored Ozpin's orders to disperse (just like Goodwitch had said they would), his cane rotated to face Ruby.

"Miss Rose, please stop. You've gone too far!"

"You should've let me into Beacon," Ruby growled. "It wasn't fair!"

Goodwitch had specifically instructed her to bring up the prior incident when she was sick as much as possible. According to them, the only way this could work is if Salem's spies heard stories of a rabid Beacon candidate who was disillusioned with a system that failed her, and these could only come from the students in front of her if they were spoon-fed an easy to accept explanation for Ruby's 'fall to the darkness.'

It was also important that she not oversell it, lest someone see through it for the act it was. Ruby had been schooled to carefully balance how dramatic she made this entire thing seem.

"We can still fix this, Miss Rose. Put down your scythe."

"It's too late, Ozpin," she said, baring her teeth like a maniac. "Too late for Qrow, and too late for you. This is what you get!"

Ruby surged forward, going straight for Ozpin's center of mass. The headmaster blocked Crescent with his cane, but Ruby let out a shot to pull her scythe backwards at rapid speeds. The sudden motion knocked Ozpin off balance, and he stumbled forward slightly.

This was a much easier show to fake. Ruby knew how to fight, and she knew how to spar. This one was going to be a real fight. To make it look real, Ozpin was going to need to fight back with everything he had.

He was crippled in one leg, which would make it believable that a child could triumph over him, especially since Ruby was a combat prodigy. The other kids believed her good enough to enter Beacon at fifteen for facing off against pro-hunter level opponents and emerging victorious.

Ruby gave up two steps of ground to allow herself an opportunity to catch Ozpin on the arm when he went in too deep with his cane. It was to her benefit to ensure the fight remained in motion at all times, for if it remained stationary, some of those other kids might have been tempted to step in if they thought they saw an opportunity to help the headmaster out.

Ozpin kept up his aggressive push against her, and they locked blades for a moment (well, they locked canes and snipers).

"All this for a test?" he bellowed. "You murdered your own uncle for a damned test?"

That garnered some gasps from the crowd of onlookers, and Ruby had to bite down on her tongue to keep herself from slipping. She could see what he was doing in his eyes – faking anger that would make him sloppy and enable one to reasonably explain his loss to a fifteen-year-old. Ruby needed to capitalize on that.

"Uncle? More like druncle."

Ozpin pressed forward in their bladelock with a disgusted grunt, and Ruby kicked into his knee. He never would have offered her that opportunity in a real fight, and her tiny little boot would never have done much, but this was playacting, and Ozpin slipped to the ground.

Ruby slipped behind him and brought Crescent up to draw a slash across the back of his, tearing open his dark black jacket and sending ripples through his aura. It helped that Ruby got to turn around when she did it, because she didn't have to see whatever Yang's reaction would have been.

It wasn't all roses and gravy for Ruby, though. Ozpin caught her scythe with his bare hand when she brought it down a second time and pulled her into a fist that caught her face. Ruby was thrown across the room while the headmaster stood back up.

This was the kind of fight that would've had boss music in a movie or videogame, some epic orchestral score that belied the tense stakes of their epic duel, but it was eerily silent when neither of the combatants were speaking. None of the students dared raise their voices or whisper to one another, and aside from the occasional clang from Ozpin's cane or gunshot from Crescent, there was little to no sound.

Ruby broke the silence, wiping blood for her lip. "You're not that tough. I heard you were supposed to be the best, but you're not so tough. Qrow was worth more than you ever were."

In hindsight, she should've said 'tougher' instead of 'worth more,' but it was too late to go back and change it. She wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to be saying, so a lot of her words sounded sort of contradictory when she thought on them after the fact. There was no script, just a general set of guidelines from Goodwitch for the sort of villainous phrases that a real killer would use, as opposed to the kind from slasher movies.

Yang cried out. "Ruby, sto–"

"Miss Xiao-Long!" Ozpin nearly screamed. "Get Miss Goodwitch! Tell her to call in the police and other huntsman!"

She didn't do it immediately, so Ozpin turned to face her briefly. "Do it now!"

Ruby took the opportunity he'd given her to yell out a manic war cry and charge straight into Ozpin's stomach with the top of her scythe at semblance speeds. The impact of the blow sent him flying out a cafeteria window, and Ruby had to race after him to keep up, lest she lose sight of her enemy.

As soon as she dove through the shattered frame, a spray of flicked blood from one of Ozpin's wounds caught her in the eye, and she lost her footing. Deprived of her vision briefly, she didn't know what was coming and felt a surge of panic.

I need to win this.

She rubbed her eyes to get the blood away, but Ozpin's footfalls as he raced towards her (presumably cane first) could be heard. It wasn't enough to detect where he was, and Ruby was still discombobulated from the decent punch he'd gotten on her before.

I can't lose. I can't! What would a real lunatic do?

Ruby couldn't fake anger, but she could remember what she'd wanted to do yesterday when she'd seen the Beacon students leaving to their initiation test. It was an impulse she never would have acted on, not in a million years, but these were exceptional circumstances.

They're all hunters. They have aura.

Ruby swung Crescent all over the place and opened fire wildly, not caring who she hit.

"You've truly lost yourself," Ozpin said, the anger in his sounding real enough to convince Ruby. If she hadn't known this was all his idea, she might've recoiled at the bite. "I thought you a promising huntress once, but now I see you're little more than an arrogant child."

"An arrogant child who's going to kill you dead," Ruby spat back, cutting Ozpin across the leg as she ducked a cane strike. He was missing more and more of his hits, faking but not really faking his strength being drained from his due to the litany of injuries she'd inflicted that piled up over time. Ruby could tell it was time to bring it home. If he began to slow down enough, the other students would intervene. She was going to have to cut through the rest of his aura and land the killing blow in one swift motion, then get out of here. Her speed semblance would help with the last part, but the first two elements of her plan made her sick to her stomach.

Just pretend he's a Grimm, she reasoned to herself. Treat him like a big, tanky Ursa that needs to be brought down.

Ruby threw the last remnants of her stamina into a relentless salvo of slashes and stabs, doing everything she could to not spare Ozpin a single second to recover. It was odd, feeling that not assaulting him to the fullest of her ability would be betraying him.

He's a big Ursa bothering our cabin, and I need to finish him off.

Ozpin's token defense failed as soon as she managed to slice his cane hand off. There was grunt of pain from the elderly man, but he held himself together well in spite of being cut apart. It was enough to make Ruby think that he truly had died before.

I've killed so many Ursai before. What's one more?

The other students had trickled outside of the cafeteria, and Ruby could hear horrified noises coming from their way as she stood atop Ozpin's dying body and continued to hack her back into the sides of his chest. She could imagine them covering their mouths in horror as the kindly old headmaster was ruthlessly subjected to a razor-sharp scythe's business end. In and out, it went, again and again.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, allowing herself that one comforting gesture of genuine emotion before she plastered the vicious smile of victorious bloodlust back over her face. "Now just die!"

Ozpin was already dead when she took his head off.

Ruby fell to her knees and let out a real scream of her rage. The crowd of students behind her were crying, shouting, yelling, declaring her a monster, but Ruby couldn't hear them over her own agonized wail.

When a hand touched her shoulder, she didn't even see who it was. It could've been Yang, seeking to offer her sister some final comfort before snapping her neck in vengeance for the death of her uncle. It could've been Professor Goodwitch, now Headmistress following the death of her predecessor, about to prompt Ruby to run off like they had discussed. It could've been some nobody. Maybe it was the black-bowed girl who was so ready to engage the violent criminal and bring her to justice. Maybe it was Yang's smug-looking partner, whose plain loathing of Ruby was replaced by bodily revulsion when she saw Qrow's body.

The butt of Crescent slammed into where she imagined the unseen figures stomach would be, eliciting a brief yelp of pain. Ruby zoomed off in the direction of the treeline with a final flurry of petals, leaving behind her hopes and dreams of being a huntress with her uncle and Ozpin's bodies.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Recruitment

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #495 – Stressed about the possibility of losing your job? Marry your boss' mother. It's highly unlikely that they will fire their new step-parent.

Ruby's Note – Does not work for the self-employed.

Ruby's Tip #811 – Having trouble finding a hobby? Compile a list of every action or event that made you smile in the past month. Congratulations, you just found your newest hobby – compiling lists.

Ruby's Tip #43 – Whenever you go backpacking, pack a nice juicy steak, in case you run into a cougar, bear, or other large carnivore. That way, you can enjoy a delicious last meal before getting mauled to death.

Chapter Text

They'd explained to her clearly that she wasn't being given the task of finding the Spring Maiden because she was suited for it. She wasn't. Ozpin hadn't meant for Ruby to become a new Qrow to replace the one she'd killed. No, the only reason he'd assigned her this mission was because he didn't want to come out of Ruby's uncle's death empty-handed. In his wisdom, he'd seen a rare opportunity to place a spy within Salem's ranks, and he'd been willing to surrender his own life (albeit temporarily; Ruby kept reminding herself of that) to achieve it.

No one was there to watch her cut down the hordes of Beowolves her anger had brought as she trudged through the Emerald Forest back down to Vale.

It was an absurdly long trek, intended to deter citizens from venturing out on their own to Beacon without prior approval. Ruby had read all about Beacon in several books over the years, and she had a decent mental map of the entire place. Thus, when she'd been forced to flee the academy for her own safety in a haze of bloodshed-induced terror, she got her bearings once more after just a few glances around.

Miss Goodwitch had explained the plan from beyond this step back in the smithy…if it could even be called a plan. At this point, she was going to simply wait around lurking in the shadows. Said shadows were supposed to be the domain of Salem and her evildoers, meaning that it was all the more likely for them to reach out to her from there.

If she wanted to speed it up, she did have some ideas – going to gangs asking for work, seeking out Roman Torchwick, buying a plane ticket to the Grimmlands (if they even sold them) – but that wouldn't help. The whole point was for Salem or one of her people to come to Ruby, so they could think the idea was theirs. If Ruby reached out to them, they might smell a scam. If they reached out to Ruby, that would be a point in her favor.

Slaughtering the creatures of darkness had always been child's play for Ruby, and their presence wasn't normally a cause for concern, but she had typically limited her hunts to Patch's forests, and when she was in her right mind. As such, she wasn't entirely sure whether the reason for their unprecedented numbers was due to the new terrain or her own heightened emotional state. Either way, they were coming at her in numbers she'd never seen before.

And she was destroying them just as easily as normally. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was so distracted by running over the events of the past day in her head, again and again and again. Killing the Grimm was second nature to her, and as long as she didn't think about it consciously, nothing they threw at her could slow her down.

The lack of sleep for the past day and a half was countered out by the sheer rivers of adrenaline that were floating within her bloodstream. The fact that this may have been her last chance to kill Grimm was not lost on her.

When next we meet, you guys might just be my greatest allies, Ruby thought to herself as she slashed through the last lingering remainders of a pack of Beowolves. She dared not say the words aloud and jeopardize everything that she worked so hard for.

If this failed or succeeded, it wouldn't bring Qrow of Ozpin back. In regards to the former, he hadn't even died for this cause – it was merely an opportunistic grab for advantage by Ozpin in the wake of the unexpected slaying. As for the latter, well... Ozpin had said he was sick with something... cardiopulmo... chronic cardio...something, something really, REALLY bad, that the doctors couldn't cure. He was dying either way and would reincarnate (Ruby still wasn't sure how much she bought that and how much it might've been an excuse to get her to comply) but he would've lived for a lot longer if she hadn't been there, plus it had been such a painful way to go, shredded up by Crescent. Either way, two people and their potential marks on the world were gone, and Ruby felt like so much suffering had to amount to something positive. Like, if both of the veteran huntsmen died and it didn't have a good cause at the end of it all, it would just be the worst.

Another Beowolf leapt from the shrubbery in her direction, and Ruby pulverized it into a poof of smoke. Catching her breath and remembering to focus on the task at hand, she pressed on in the direction of Vale.

"Yo, she dead?"

"She's stirring."

"Could be death throes."

"Her chest is rising."

"Figures a dyke like you would stare at her tits."

"Mercury, she may not be dead, but you will be if you ever call me that again."

"Hey, I see the way you look at C…women. Don't blame me for the way you are."

"Fine, I won't. In exchange, when I snap and murder you, you don't get to blame me for the way you die."

Something kicked her, and Ruby jolted awake, tipping over and landing in a puddle of last night's rain. She'd heard the voices speaking, but making sense of what they had been saying in her sleepy state had been more or less impossible until she'd been woken up just a bit more from the kick. It was like all those times when she'd snooze her alarm back on a school day, not fully considering the consequences of her actions, only to gradually regain more consciousness a half-hour later and realize she was going to be late to class.

As she came to, she was faced with her surroundings and two unfamiliar faces.

The surroundings were far easier to interpret, as memories from last night came back to her. It had actually been the early evening when she'd fallen asleep in an alleyway, wallowing in her own suffering and choosing to hide herself from view in case the police came looking for her. It was with a heavy heart that she'd chosen to discard her belt and hood in a dumpster several blocks prior, but she'd known that the police would be searching for a suspect wearing such articles, and they were too distinctive. Crescent Rose was slung across her back, which did enough to keep people from seeing it unless they actively looked. Keeping it was a risk, but leaving it behind would render her defenseless, and Salem probably was looking for an armed combatant, not a vulnerable liability.

The two unfamiliar faces were, well, unfamiliar. Neither of them meant anything to Ruby.

"How long was I out?" Ruby asked, rubbing at her eyes.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" asked the taller of the two, a boy who didn't seem happy to be there. His skin was as pale as Ruby's but all of his clothes were the same color as his hair – pure, uninterrupted gray. Ruby decided then and there that she didn't like him.

"You Ruby Rose?" asked the other person. She was still taller than Ruby, but not by as much. Ruby had seen plenty of people with dark skin before, and half of her family had red eyes like this girl (at least if she counted Yang during her semblance), but the green hair was new.

Ruby raised her arms above her head to stretch out after the uncomfortable night spent sleeping on the ground, but the gray boy kicked her again.

"What's yer name, you little shit?"

"Look, I don't have time for this," Ruby said, glancing up at the sky to see how dark it was. Based on her best guess, she was say it was either around dusk or dawn, but she couldn't tell which.

"Why?" asked the boy. "Got somewhere to be?"

Ruby nearly cursed right then and there. Right now, she wasn't supposed to be on a schedule to meet Salem's minions. All she was supposed to be doing was hiding from the police and Beacon in the wake of her violent crimes of passion.

"I don't have time to be mugged by two hobos," Ruby corrected, saving the situation as best she could. She raised a thumb over her shoulder to point to Crescent. "Look, I'll save you losers the time and just come out with it – I'm a huntress. You try and go for my wallet, you…die."

"Huntress, eh?" said the boy, trying to kick her again. She leaned away, dodging the blow. "Sure about that, red?"

The girl shoved him, not so gently. "What my companion means to ask is if you're a huntress, or if you used to be a huntress."

Ruby's eyes narrowed.

If this is…that, then that was fast.

"What's it to you two assholes?" Ruby asked. Cussing wasn't pleasant, but if they were Salem-followers, they wouldn't be interested in a goody-two shoes do-gooder of a fifteen-year-old.

"If you are Ruby Rose, then I think we have someone who'd be interested in meeting you," said the girl.

"And if you're not, I want your wallet," said the boy.

Ruby frowned. "M-Meet with me?"

Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes it means something it's not for nothing yes yes yes.

"Why would I want to meet with whoever you two work for?" Ruby forced out.

She wanted desperately for this to be that easy. Salem apparently had spies everywhere, and in the time she'd been asleep, the message of Ozpin's death had spread. She was now about to be recruited and one step closer to completing her mission and saving the world from Salem.

She wanted that, but she wasn't supposed to. A real serial killer wouldn't just meet with two random stranger's boss. It wasn't Ruby's own instincts telling her this but the hours of coaching Miss Goodwitch had given her on how to appropriately react.

"I'm askin' you again – why the hell should I care about whoever you're asking me to meet?"

"Because," said the boy, with a grin. "We're not asking."

"Yes, you are," said Ruby. "You just asked if I could meet with someone, like, fifteen seconds ago."

"We ain't asking. We're telling."

"O-Oh," Ruby said dumbly. "Oh. So, like, do I just follow you, or do we have to fight to assert dominance, or…?"

"Just follow us," said the girl. "And feel free to ignore Mercury if he's being an idiot. It's what I do, pretty much all the time."

Ruby got up to her feet and took another look at the two. Now that she knew what to be checking for, she could tell that they were both hunters. The girl had guns on her waist, and the boy clearly carried himself with the cocky air of someone used to getting into and winning fights. Their outfits weren't explicitly show-offy, but Ruby didn't expect that normal civilians would dress up in such bold fashion schemes unless they were models on the runway.

The girl, who still hadn't introduced herself, put a hand on Ruby's shoulder and began leading her deeper into the alleyway. Ruby looked back at the street one last time before following her.

It was no understatement to say that Salem was probably the most beautiful woman Ruby had ever seen.

The red dress she wore covered up just enough of her body to leave something to the imagination, and it also helped accentuate the natural curves of her body. Those eyes of hers twinkled like burning stars, radiating both a calm warmth that called out to Ruby and a simmering heat that warned her off within. Her hair fell over one eye, giving her a slightly quirky appearance, but the look of her face told Ruby that she wouldn't appreciate being referred to as such. Ruby hadn't realistically expected the Dark Queen of the Grimm to have black blood in her veins and skin as white as ash, but nevertheless, this individual was far more approachable than whatever nebulous image she'd kept in her head.

Just the same, she radiated danger. If Mercury had been dripping with confidence in the way he moved, Salem was overflowing with it. As she walked up to Ruby, her eyes roved all over the young girl – not in a creepy way, but in a 'I am assessing you as a threat and/or potential minion' way. Both of her arms sat calmly at her sides, but Ruby recognized the same tension that her old combat tutor had instructed her to watch out for. At a moment's notice, Salem could spring into action. Ruby saw no weapons, but she doubted they could be far. Or maybe Salem fought hand to hand, like Yang. She couldn't say for sure.

They weren't in some comic book villain lair like an abandoned warehouse or something equally silly. The two hunters had brought Ruby to a decently sized apartment on the higher end side of Vale that had to have had at least five rooms. The quartet of them were currently in the kitchen. Salem had risen from the couch to greet Ruby, while Mercury hovered in the background and Emerald stood attentively at the front door.

"You must be Ruby Rose."

"And you must be…hey, wait a sec, I recognize you."

Salem blinked, and Ruby instantly bit down on her tongue. She hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it had just sort of slipped out.

When Roman Torchwick had been flying his getaway bullhead above Dust Till Dawn, a huntress in a dress identical to Salem's had been out there, throwing fireballs and creating explosions that had nearly killed Ruby. At the time, she'd recognized the motions as Dust-Weaving, which had caused her to commit the dress into which the Dust was presumably laced to memory. There was no guarantee that this was the same woman, as Salem could have easily lent her clothes to a friend, but Ruby had spoken on instinct.

If Salem figured out who Ruby was, Qrow would have died for nothing.

Please don't let it…

"I was thinking you might've," said Salem. "It's good to see that you aren't blind, Ruby. We aren't out looking for someone who forgets an enemy they crossed blades with but a week ago."

"L-Look, about that, I was…"

Ruby didn't know what to say. Should she apologize and beg for forgiveness? Should she play it off as nothing important? Should she double down? Her mistake in calling out Salem had actually been the right thing to do, but there was no telling how far would be too far.

"…I had some misconceptions about what side I was on," Ruby decided to go with, eventually.

"As it seems. Worry not; I am not here to exact vengeance. Quite the opposite, in fact. Miss Rose, you don't know me, but I know you."

Ruby didn't freeze like she wanted to. She didn't tense up. She kept herself cool, calm, and collected, because Miss Goodwitch had schooled her on how not to react to anything. This wasn't the time to show weakness. Any mistake could spell her doom, and if Salem figured out Ruby's true intentions, it could not only spell out Ruby's death but the death of everyone on Remnant.

But then Salem's eyes narrowed. Two seconds passed in which Ruby pondered what she'd done wrong. When it clicked, Ruby realized that everything Miss Goodwitch had told her, every second of every minute of every hour of her training, was useless.

"Y-Y-You do?" she squeaked, stuttering like Ruby Rose the socially useless weapons dork and awkward huntress nerd always did. "You know…me? How?!"

Salem nodded, pleased with the reaction. "I've heard of the events in Beacon. Of the death of your uncle and the headmaster. The academies betrayed you, and you exacted your vengeance. A powerful statement, and one that did not go unnoticed by myself and my organization."

Ruby let herself wince guiltily at the mention of Uncle Qrow, which was the reaction that she would have done naturally. Salem saw it. She was meant to.

And that was the kicker. Miss Goodwitch had explained to her how to react or not react appropriately to all sorts of things, but that wasn't going to matter here. Salem expected reactions. If Ruby maintained her composure at all times and didn't stutter here and there and act appropriately shocked at the things Salem was telling it, it would look all the more suspicious. The best cover was the truth, and while it might've been convincing for Ruby to play the part of the stone-cold killer who hid her emotions well, that wasn't what a realistic fifteen-year-old who just left behind her entire life would do.

Ruby Rose's best cover would be as herself. She wasn't a spy, and if she tried to be one, it would raise more questions than it answered. Naturally, she would have to feign shock when she heard about the maidens for a second time, but otherwise, she should just act naturally. If Ruby didn't flinch when Salem showed her magic or demonstrated control of the Grimm, that would trigger alarms. Ruby would've bet dollars to cookies that Mercury and the girl he was with had been shocked silly when Salem did those things for them. Besides, there was no telling what Salem already knew about Ruby. The most realistic reaction was the expected reaction.

Ruby wasn't a spy. She was a child, and she needed to start acting like it.

"I-I-I didn't mean to kill them," she piteously wailed. "I mean, I did, but they…they weren't being fair!"

Ruby thought back to seeing Jaune when he had been allowed to apply for Beacon when she hadn't. Calling upon that memory, she let some of the outrage she'd felt at the time leak into her face, but quickly pulled it back. Salem noted the turmoil in Ruby's emotions and offered a comforting smile.

"You are not alone, Miss Rose. Beacon is a castle that lives high up on its hill and looks down on the rest of us. Its very walls teem with hypocrisy, and the hunters it and the academies churn out are just the same. My own mentor, Rhodes, sought to kill me in the dead of night when I committed the grave sin of defending myself from my tormentors. Emerald, they were content to leave starving in the streets, but when she stole just barely enough to feed herself, they came after her guns blazing. And Mercury…well…"

"I don't have a sob story," the boy proudly declared. Salem glared daggers at him, but he shrugged it off and sauntered over to the corner of the room.

"Ruby, we are the few who have seen behind the curtain that Ozpin uses to hide his ugly truth. I assure you, for every sin those in this room have suffered, ten thousand more exist and, worse yet, go unpunished. Faunus are accepted to the academies, but they aren't present in numbers greater than as a token presence to act as a smokescreen and deny allegations of misconduct. More male hunters are the aggressors of abusive relationships than any other career choice. And, as you've seen firsthand, the headmasters hold unprecedented power over their students. In my opinion, it seems a touch unfair that an old man years out of his prime can up and decide that a promising young woman must give up on her career entirely solely because he can't be bothered to organize a rescheduled exam."

Ruby feigned shock at Salem knowing so much about her. After what she thought might've been a reasonable amount of time, she narrowed her eyes manually, doing her best to make it a suspicious look. "You're talking like…like you plan to do something about it. Something bad, like hurting people."

Most kids don't instantly side with anarchists after their first bad day at school. If I just joined them without questioning it, she wouldn't trust me.

"The kingdoms were born from blood," Salem explained, turning away and folding her arms. "It took the Great Wars to develop them from hereditary monarchies into the modern systems that exist, but they didn't take it far enough. Sadly, that means that if a new order, a truly fair order is to be established, there must be more blood. But I can promise you this, Ruby: when the blood has been shed and the swords are laid to rest, the world will be a better place after our revolution."

Ruby pretended to waver for a few seconds and used that time to carefully select her next few words.

"Huntresses…Huntresses make the world a better place."

Salem nodded. "You'd not be a huntress, but serve me and you would be helping people. That, I can promise you."

Ruby bit her lips and met Salem's eyes.

"Who exactly are you?" she asked.

"My name," said Salem, her amber eyes blazing with a triumphant gaze of victory as she gained a new minion, "is Cinder."

Coming Soon – Ruby's Space

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #3 – Need a few quick lien? Donate some blood, then borrow what you lost from a friend.

Chapter Text

"Cinder," Ruby repeated.

"Cinder," said Salem, nodding with confidence.

"Cinder. C-Cinder?"

"Yes, Cinder."

Ruby pinched herself before she could repeat Salem's…Cinder's…her name once more. She had been so sure that this was Salem, but if this was just some terrorist who had nothing to do with the maidens and the Grimm, then it was all a waste.

Well, she'd come all this way, and it would've been a waste to give up too early. Cinder might actually be Salem, just giving out a pen name so she couldn't be traced by Ozpin. And if she wasn't, running with some plain old terrorists was probably the best way to get poached by Salem.

"So, Cinder," said Ruby, mentally cursing herself for sounding like a dummy. "I'm all for replacing the Huntsman Academies with something more fair, but that's a bit of a tall order. What makes you think that youuuuhaaaiigGGHHHEEEE!"

This time, Ruby's reaction was perfectly genuine, because a freaking GRIMM popped out of Salem's arm before she'd even asked her complete question. Salem (and now, Ruby was 100% sure that this was her, because it was a tad unlikely that there were two supervillainous women who commanded the Grimm) smirked the smirk of someone who took great pleasure in knowing more than you. She was relishing in the fear and surprise that Ruby showed when the beetle scuttled out of her fist, made a few rounds along her forearm, and then returned back to its burrow…its burrow inside of Salem's fist!

"Are you convinced?"

"What the heck was that?!"

"A Scarab. It may not seem powerful due to its size, but rest assured, it has its uses."

"Uses?"

Salem nodded. "Uses."

"It sucks young women," said Mercury, shrugging with a grin.

"Mercury!" hissed Salem.

"Sucks 'em dry," he added, for g̶o̶o̶d̶ bad measure.

"Sucks women?" Ruby asked, taking a few steps back from Salem and her suck-arm.

"Not like that. It can…this won't mean much to you, but it can steal a power that normally transfers upon death. It does not rob women of their chastity, or whatever my dear friend Mercury wishes to imply."

"Your tone doesn't make it sound like I'm a dear friend," Mercury said with a fake pout.

Power that transfers upon death…it had to be the maidens. Ruby was tied up in her own world at the jaw-dropping realization that Salem, the immortal Grimm Queen, wanted the power for herself. If should could get it, she would never die, meaning that she would have the maiden power forever, in theory. Ruby's desire to complete her mission grew more confident. She needed to do this.

She probably shouldn't have held her breath, as Salem had been correct in saying that the knowledge wasn't supposed to mean anything to Ruby, but she and Mercury seemed to be engaged in some minor contest of wills at the moment.

"I'm truly starting to not appreciate the way you flagrantly disobey me, Mercury. I gave you the greatest gift imaginable, my underling – a purpose. Without me, you would be floating through the world aimlessly…or worse. I brought you here when you were on death's door, Mercury. Your very life is owed to me rightfully. You will show me my due respect, Black."

Mercury squinted with a faltering grin. "Yeah, I would, 'cept your precious package of power didn't show when she was supposed to, and you didn't become the unkillable god queen you promise you'd become. I'm not going to lie, it does things to the troops' morale. Why, I'm sure that I've walked in on Emerald masturbating to you only twice this week. Only twice Cinder – down from five times last week!"

"Careful, boy. With young Ruby at our side, you might find yourself replaced soon enough."

Mercury squinted. "Mmmmmm, but she can't really go to Beacon as a transfer, now can she? Eh, Cindy?"

Salem was on Mercury faster than Zwei on dropped slices of Beacon. Er, bacon. One of her open hands caught him by the throat and began to glow, which somehow brought about a thin stream of smoke as she choked him. The other hand splayed out its fingers, and a glinting sword suddenly appeared out of thin air, its point aiming directly at Mercury's groin.

No, not out of thin air. The particles nearby were suddenly sucked in. Is it transformation? Mass conversion?

Ruby probably didn't need to analyze a magical witch's powers like a semblance, but old habits died hard. Either way, more knowledge would give her more to work with in the future, and if she could explain why she knew it as being the result of direct observations, it was all the better.

"Call me Cindy once more, and you'll discover that legs aren't the worst thing to have cut off."

Certainly Salem, if she despised the false name Cinder so much. I can't believe she approached me so fast. Ruby wasn't complaining about it, mind you.

"G-Got it. Ma'am."

"Good. I shouldn't have to –"

Emerald cleared her throat. "M-Ma'am. You said to remind you to…"

Salem turned her murderous gaze upon her second minion, but it returned to a more normal stare after a second or two. Releasing Mercury, she vaporized her sword back into the air or particulate matter from which it had formed and unruffled her dress.

"Thank you, Emerald. Miss Rose, I happen to be in need of womanpower at the moment. With Emerald and Mercury aiding me in hunting down some prey that recently failed to show up where it was supposed to, we are going to be unable to supervise a mutual acquaintance of ours. One whose incompetence is well known to you."

"Torchwick," Ruby breathed. If Salem expected Ruby to be familiar with someone, it pretty much had to be him. The two of them didn't really share anything else in common other than the night she'd helped him escape from Ruby.

"Precisely," said Salem with a nod. "I know it seems odd to partner you with him after you came to blows so recently, but after his numerous failures and your recent actions at Beacon, I'm inclined to trust you more than Roman. Or perhaps I trust him less. As a test of your abilities, I shall lend you to him for his next raid and –"

"Quick question," interjected Ruby.

Salem raised an eyebrow.

"Will you cancel the test before it starts and kick me to the curb on a whim?"

"…no?"

"Then I already like you more than Beacon," Ruby said with a grin.

Salem responded with one of her own, equally large but far more malicious. "Excellent. As I was saying, you shall both aid Roman in his acquisition of Dust and ensure he doesn't attempt to hide anything from me. Thrice in the past has Roman tried to keep me in the dark about secrets or failures of his. Had I not sent Emerald to spy on him, his little monster might've stayed under the radar for far longer." Salem shook her head. "But that is neither here nor there. I will give you more details when the time comes. I shall be in my space. In the meantime, Emerald will show you to your own."

Ruby looked around at the inside of the rather fine apartment. "Wait, I get to live here?"

Salem smiled. "I think you'll find I reward those under my command quite generously, Ruby. Emerald can attest."

And Mercury could attest to how she treated those who she didn't get on with. It was no matter, though; Ruby had every intention of being the best minion possible.

Ruby decided she liked Emerald the best. Of course, Emerald was still a criminal, and Ruby wasn't going to do something stupid like befriend her or fall in love with her, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy her presence while she was here. The alternatives were spending time with Salem – oh, excuse Ruby, she meant Cinder – or Mercury.

"Your space is your own," Emerald declared. "Anything you want to do in that space, you get to do. No one else can enter it."

"Cool," Ruby said.

"I know, right? Even Mercury, for all the shit he likes to pull, knows better than to enter someone else's space."

"My own room," said Ruby, smiling as she patted the bed on which they sat.

"Space," Emerald corrected.

She and Yang had always slept in beds opposite one another back in Patch, and even Beacon was said to house for hunters together in the same room – er, space. Ruby supposed that the alluring life of a criminal was already beginning to spoil her.

"You can eat any food in the fridge unless it belongs to Cinder," said Emerald.

"How can I tell which one belongs to S– Cinder?" asked Ruby. "Does she label it?"

"Everything in there belongs to Cinder."

Ruby considered asking what that was supposed to mean, but she had a feeling it would be better to just let it lie and eat out when she had the chance.

"Wait…" Ruby giggled. "So this is my space, right?"

Emerald nodded. "Right."

"And I get to say who comes in or not?"

"Right again."

"So if I, like, ordered you to leave, you'd actually have to? Even though I just got here?"

To Ruby's surprise, Emerald made a beeline for the door.

Ruby waved her hands frantically. "W-Wait, I wasn't saying –"

The older girl shrugged. "You never invited me in in the first place, so technically I'm not supposed to be here. The only reason this whole thing works so well is because Cinder wasn't lying when she said she rewards us generously. In our spaces, we are the queens, or kings in Mercury's case. There's no laws or rules or others to prevent us from doing whatever we want. I like to eat. Merc plays with drugs sometimes and occasionally cuts up small animals; no jokes, he's messed up in the head somethin' serious. And Cinder –"

The woman in question suddenly appeared. Slamming open the door to Ruby's space, she barged right in and roughly shoved Emerald out of the way. She went down with a hurt yelp, but Salem didn't even notice.

"YOU!" she screamed, her eyes glaring into Ruby's as she continued on her warpath.

Oh shit.

That sounded an awful lot like the scream of someone who knew Ruby's secret. A more prepared person might've had some extraction plan in place, but Ruby hadn't gotten that far and could only scramble backwards until her shoulders and neck bonked into the wall.

"YOU!" Salem screamed again.

"M-Me?"

"Your eyes! Color!"

"What? W-W-What?"

Salem's hand, the one without the beetle, wrapped around Ruby's throat and lifted her at least a foot off the ground as she rose to her full height.

"What. Color. Are. Your. EYES!"

Every word was gritted out with murderous intent. Ruby could tell that there was a right answer, something Salem wanted to hear, and if she got it wrong, she could actually die right then and there.

"S-Silver," she whimpered.

"Not gray?" Salem desperately asked, irritation in her voice – no, not irritation. Pleading. In that moment, Ruby realized that whatever the right answer was, silver was not it.

Ruby said nothing, but her silence was enough to confirm that her answer wasn't being recanted. Ruby had no clue what the big deal was, but whatever it was, it mattered a whole lot to Salem.

The hand on her neck flung her across the room, and Ruby's aura flared up as her head slammed into another wall with a wretched crack. The room itself was weaker than Ruby, and it broke first. It wasn't particularly painful – Yang herself tended to hit harder when they wrestled – but the fury of the attack sent Ruby into a mental tailspin as she entered fight or flight mode.

Flight wasn't an option. She was supposed to stay here and complete her mission. Except, she was almost certainly made…

Fighting would be no different than suicide, at this point.

Mercury briefly cracked open his door, peeked a small tuft of silver hair out at the commotion, then hastily retreated back to safety.

Fearing another strike, Ruby covered her face with her arms and curled up into a ball, but the dreaded attack never came. As quickly and as abruptly as she had entered, Salem stormed out the still open door, loudly raving as she did. Her furious screeches didn't sound like any intelligible speech, but they continued on as she went down the hall and out the door of the apartment.

"W-What the hell was that?!" asked Emerald, when she was sure Salem was long gone. She stared at Ruby. "What's wrong with your eyes?!"

"Nothing!" Ruby said. "I don't know?!"

Emerald scrambled to her feet, took one last look at Ruby's destroyed space, and hustled out the door.

Emerald came back a few times throughout the rest of the day to ask a few information-gathering questions as she tried to make sense of Salem's absence following her state of rage, but other than that, Ruby just sat silently and unmolested in her space.

Had Salem figured it out? If so, Ruby needed to get out of here before she came back and killed her…or worse. The Queen of the Grimm probably would take great pleasure in torturing little kids to madness.

But has she, though? Figured it out, that is. Because if Salem knew who Ruby was, there was no reason for her to leave the shared apartment without either a) taking Ruby with her as a prisoner or b) killing her in that instant. And the whole eye thing was still throwing Ruby for a loop. Silver eyes were the same thing that Headmaster Ozpin had abruptly brought up when he first met Ruby, and now Salem was interested in them. What…What was going on?

The right move would be to flee. The smart move would be to flee.

But if Ruby's cover wasn't blown…

At this point, it was a matter of weighing the risks and the benefits. Ruby's life was on the line, but so was that of every man, woman, and child on Remnant. Ozpin and Qrow had already given their lives for the cause – no, I can't misremember things like that, Qrow didn't give his life for anything! – and to give up now would be something she couldn't take back. If she ran, Salem would never let her back in.

Roll the dice and risk her own life, or run away and be sure to live to see another day.

The choice was Ruby's, and it wasn't much of a choice at all.

The next morning at around 5am, Ruby awoke to her door being slammed open. Salem stalked in with Mercury to her left and Emerald to her right, but the violent intent from before was absent.

Time to face the music, I guess.

"Come with me, Rose," she said.

Ruby nodded and followed wordlessly. She made sure to grab Crescent just in case before Salem led her out the main door of their apartment, down the stairwell to the bottom floor, along the street to the other side of Vale, past several cordoned off crime scenes that had Torchwick's name all over them…

Would it be normal to ask where we're going? Ruby wondered. Like, I'm going for authentic Ruby Rose, awkwardness and silliness and lack of awareness and all, and I would probably ask to be told our destination by this point. It's not weird to want to know where the four of us are heading…

Except every instinct in Ruby's body was screaming at her to stay silent. Salem's face was that of a Dust-keg, waiting to explode at the slightest of provocations. Both her supersecret spy side and her authentic Ruby side were telling her not to poke the barely restrained Leviathan. Maybe on a normal walk with the gang, but not on this 'subtext of instantaneous murder' walk.

She ended up following Salem all the way to warehouse in the industrial district of Vale, where most of the factories were. Lots of things that didn't fit well in the residential centers of the kingdoms like assembly plants and whatnot tended to be placed outside the walls and were responsible for their own defenses and employee shuttling, but this region was home to the facilities that were too important to risk losing to a Grimm attack.

Ruby looked around at the setting and found herself growing uneasy. This place was rife with smoke, making it harder to breathe and almost impossible to see further than a few meters ahead. If she tried to make a break for it, it would be sure to end in failure and capture.

She'd come this far. There was no backing out now.

At long last, they stopped. Salem looked like every step of the voyage had strained her mentally. Massaging her temples, she raised a well-groomed hand and snapped her fingers carefully, as though she didn't want to perform the action at all.

"Why, are those the delicate nails of Cinder Fall I hear?"

Ruby turned instantly, Crescent at the ready, but when Roman Torchwick sauntered out from behind them, Emerald gently placed a hand to her sniper-scythe to push it down. The nonverbal message was received, and Ruby let the weapon be lowered.

Roman smiled the crookedest of grins at Ruby as he approached their party, arms wide and cane twisting. "Ho ho ho, what's this? Little Red, c–"

"Another word and I kill you."

The threat from Salem was said with such emptiness, such lack of anger, that it somehow sounded scarier than Salem's earlier ruthless interrogation of Ruby. The way Salem spoke so neutrally, one might've thought Roman were a waiter at a fancy restaurant being given an order, not a man receiving a promise to end his life. If anything, the Grimm Queen sounded more tired, like she didn't have time to bluster or intimidate and was simply relying on her reputation to speak for her. Evidently, it did, since Torchwick shut his mouth and retreated to safe distance. However, in spite of her orders to stop speaking, he kept talking.

"Bullhead. Just down that way." He nodded off to the side with his head. "Your keys."

Salem waved a hand, and Mercury collected the fob for her. She continued to rub her head for a few seconds, then took the small item from her appointed middleman.

"Roman. Go. Emerald. Go with him. Watch him. Mercury. Just…busy yourself. Don't care. I'll be gone."

The curt sentences only filled Ruby with more and more dread, but somehow they reassured her as well. Salem hadn't killed her yet, and if she wanted Ruby dead, there had been ample opportunity. Emerald was being dismissed to what should have been Ruby's task, but it seemed more to Ruby that this indicated Salem was planning something else for her rather than wanting to get rid of her.

"Rose. On the bullhead."

Ruby looked out in the direction that Roman had nodded.

"Now," Salem snarled, the murderous look in her eyes returning.

Ruby marched.

In the end, when it was just the two of them on the airship (the very same getaway vehicle from the night Ruby had first encountered Salem, if she recognized it properly) with Salem at the helm, the villainous woman's shoulders finally sagged. She let out a deep, overly long sigh and threw her head back against the seat's rest.

"Ruby Rose. Silver eyes."

"T-That's my name, don't wear it…don't…y-yes? Er, ma'am?"

"You have been summoned to meet someone."

"Okay."

That didn't sound good. If this person they were meeting was troubling enough to make the immortal leader of the Grimm stressed out, Ruby wanted nothing to do with them. Who could bother the mighty Salem?

"Her name is Salem."

"I thought you were S–"

Ruby's heart nearly exploded out of her chest.

" – supposed to be in charge."

It was a fairly smooth save, with little to no time lost on the stutter, but Ruby's heartrate continued to remain in the high thousands.

Salem…Not-Salem didn't seem to pick up on the fact that Ruby had known Salem was in charge of her, instead just emitting a noise somewhere between a groan and a growl. Ruby chalked it down to either it being obvious that Salem was the boss from context clues, or just that Not-Salem was too jumped up on adrenaline and fear to even notice Ruby's slip.

"I am but a servant to the woman who is now our shared mistress. This is not information to which you or any of those beneath me should be privy, but Salem has requested your immediate presence, trumping all other concerns of my assignment. Your actions shall reflect on me, Rose."

"I understand…"

Uhhhhhhhhhm. What was Not-Salem's name again? Crap! Uh, Cindy? No, not that. Something really, really close to it, though.

"…Cinder."

That was it, Cinder.

"Good," said Cinder. "See that you do not embarrass me in front of her."

Cinder, Cinder, Cinder, not Salem – that was going to take some getting used to and a whole lotta repeating inside of Ruby's head.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Job Interview

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #71 – Worried about an unplanned pregnancy? Cover your roof in barbed wire – the stork won't be able to land.

Ruby's Tip #16 – For a cleanlier place to live, release some cockroaches and rats into your house to clean up any crumbs you spill.

Chapter Text

Salem…er, Cinder was glaring at Ruby. Like, a lot.

Specifically, she seemed to be staring Ruby right in the face and studying her eyes.

She seemed to get so angry at me when I confirmed that my eyes were silver. She also seemed pretty angry that she has to take me to Salem. Is it because she's jealous of Salem's interest in me, or just miffed that she has to take time out of her busy schedule in Vale to act as a chauffeur?

Well, the momentary insanity appeared to have worn off by now, so Ruby decided to take the plunge and ask. It couldn't make Cinder any angrier, could it?

"S-Sorry for…being such a bother, ma'am."

Cinder's jaw hardened. "You should be."

Okay. That was a rocket-powered jetpack that immediately took Ruby to nowhere, and fast. Her intended follow-up of asking if it was because of her eyes when Cinder inevitably raced to reassure her that it wasn't her fault died an agonizing death on her lips.

Time to try a different angle, then. "Is there anything I should know to avoid causing you trouble?"

Cinder had explicitly said that Ruby would be representing her in Salem's eyes, so approaching this from the goal of trying to minimize her own embarrassment was sure to get something out of her. Ruby knew from interactions with some of the ruder girls and boys at Signal that pandering to self-interests were a surefire way to talk to those with a mean temper or an even meaner disposition.

"Shut your damn mouth."

The two of them flew the rest of the six-hour flight in silence.

Back when Ruby had mistaken Cinder as Salem running with an alias, it hadn't seemed all that odd to her that the immortal Grimm Witch-Queen had operated out of a high-end apartment in uptown Vale with two teenaged underlings as roommates. That struck her as odd in hindsight, though it may have been influenced by the castle that came into view as the airship began its final descent.

The entire castle was a single central spire with minor offshoot branches sprouting out here and there. The only way Ruby could identify it as a castle and not a natural Dust formation was because a queen supposedly resided within; otherwise, it was indistinguishable from a big old rock that just happened to have a geometric pattern. As she got closer, she began to make out distinct architectural features like broad windows running along the sides of the lower walls and protruding docking platforms, one of which their airship landed on.

Everything about this place was purple. The sky was burgundy, the ground was maroon, the castle itself was dark fuchsia – whoever designed this place (probably Salem) had really like the royal hue's foreboding theming.

All in all, Ruby thought it looked super epic!

"Woah!" she cried. She scrambled over Cinder's lap to get a better view, forgetting herself in her genuine awe of the awesome fortress that looked like it probably had a billion knights and horses within. "What is this place? Is this where Salem lives? Does she have trebuchets or ballistae for defense? Is there a moat? I don't see one – c-can I build the moat?"

"Silence!" screeched Cinder, pushing Ruby back into her seat. "There is no moat, and you will not be in charge of its construction. Now sit down, shut up, and do not even dream of getting out of that seat again!"

Ruby sat down.

The airship landed.

"Alright, get out of the seat."

Ruby had to hold back her snickers by biting into her lips. Cinder was clearly off her guard, and she was slipping up from the absolutely steady persona that had come out when Ruby had been recruited. That woman, the Cinder who 'convinced' Ruby to join the very organization she'd set out to infiltrate, was perfectly articulate and never missed a beat. Now, her silver tongue was gone, and in its place was a tied one.

"For the love of Dust, do not even think of addressing Salem. Only speak when spoken to."

More giggles threatened to sneak out. They'd had the whole flight over to plan their moves, but Cinder had spent the entire time stewing, and now she was desperately trying to get in some last-minute instructions before they exited the airship and entered the castle.

"Do not lie. Salem has an interest in your silver eyes, but as for what that means or why it is so, I cannot say. Ignore Watts – he will jape at you relentlessly in a petty attempt to rile you up and humiliate me in front of the Queen. Tyrian…ignore him too. Ignore any Grimm you see; rather, do not provoke them, and they shall not impede your way. I doubt Hazel will engage you…"

"So, I'll just ignore him too?" Ruby asked sweetly.

"Cut that out."

"What?"

"Being you. Act your age."

"I'm –"

"A child." Cinder put her palm to her face as though she had forgotten that little fact when she opened the door and ushered Ruby out with a rough pat on the back. "Act mature. If you ruin my standing with the queen, I will not hesitate to peel the skin from your bones and roast it over an open flame."

That wouldn't be an issue for Ruby; her bones didn't have skin. She, of course, refrained from pointing this out. Needlessly antagonizing Cinder might've gotten a funny reaction from the unpleasant huntress, but Ruby was here to ingratiate herself with Salem and her minions, not push them away.

She needed to play nice, but not too nice that it gave her away as someone wanting to gain their trust, which was why she hadn't simply obeyed Cinder without question or pretended to be too eager to obey her. This entire thing was a grand balancing act. This was the Grimmlands, after all, and any regular fifteen-year-old would be peeing their pants at the mere thought of it. Ruby, as a huntress, would be afforded some expectation of bravery, but too little of a reaction could give her away.

"Holy shit!" Ruby exclaimed upon seeing Salem – the actual Salem, this time. There was no doubt about it this time.

Cinder let out a high pitched noise that sounded an awful lot like distilled rage, but Salem herself merely drank in Ruby's astonished disgust with relish.

This was the kind of Grimm Queen that Ruby could've only imagined in her wildest dreams. It was a horrifying fusion of humanoid characteristics mixed seamlessly with the wretched motifs of Grimm bone and ichor. Her eyes were red as the sky of her domain, her skin looked like it was formed from tightly pressed chalk, and you already know what she looks like since you watched the show, so I won't drag it out any longer.

"Ruby Rose," Salem stated. Her temperament was far more rigid, sort of like how Cinder had initially been when she'd needed to convince Ruby to be her underling. "The last silver eyed warrior."

Ruby blinked. "What's – er…."

She shut her lips. Don't speak unless spoken to, you idiot!

Salem smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Please, ignore whatever frantic coaching Cinder gave you aboard the airship and speak plainly, child. I shan't bite."

Ruby looked Cinder's way exactly once, decided she never wanted to see a look of such hatred again, and turned back to Salem and the two men who stood behind her.

"Why is everyone so interested in my silver eyes?"

"Everyone?"

"You, Cinder, Ozpin…before he died, that is."

The Grimm-human's smile only grew wider. "Oh, perfect. Deliciously perfect. Ozma was interested in you for your eyes?"

Ozma wasn't his name, but Ruby felt fairly confident Ozma was being used to refer to the headmaster, so she answered affirmatively.

"Just as I thought. Young Rose, you are exactly what I've needed all along." Salem spread out her arms with an open gesture.

Ruby, not sure if she was reading the signal right but too afraid of offending Salem by not reacting, ran into her arms and accepted the hug. Her arms had been out, and it looked like that was what she'd been asking for.

"Oh?" Salem asked curiously, looking down and raising a brow as the tiny girl unsurely embraced her.

Salem's skin looked like it would be as cold as the pale snow it resembled in color, but she was actually warm. She didn't feel like a Grimm. Honestly, if she didn't look weird, Ruby wouldn't have been able to tell her apart from a normal woman by touch alone.

"She's exactly what you've needed all along, my queen…and also a complete idiot," Cinder explained, a scowl on her face as she looked at Ruby. "Forgive her stupidity."

'Forgive her stupidity' was what Cinder said. 'Don't blame me for it' was what she obviously meant.

Ruby blushed and disentangled herself, averting her eyes as her cheeks reddened. Salem had just been gesturing to her with her arms spaced apart. That much was obvious in hindsight, based on all their reactions. "I-I-I thought you wanted me to…y-you know. I'm sorry."

"Exactly what I would've expected from you, Young Rose." Salem turned away and walked to the end of the empty hall in which they all stood. It was probably the main hall, but it looked like it had been cleared of all furniture prior to Ruby's arrival. "An innocent, sheltered, precious darling, just as my foreign eyes made you out to be. Unversed in the harsh truths of the world."

Ruby could've passed out from the relief she'd felt. Salem somehow had known who she was, meaning that her decision to be herself as best she could with Cinder was the right call. Had she tried to act like someone else, someone more mature, in an attempt to appear more appealing to them as a recruitable minion, it would've blown up in her face.

"And when Ozma's hallowed angel has been corrupted into the very instrument of his demise," Salem declared hungrily, "my victory shall be all that much sweeter."

Ruby stared blankly for a second.

Get it together, girl. You aren't supposed to know what you don't know.

"You mean O-Ozpin? That dick? I hate to be the one to break it to you, Miss Grimm lady, but I killed him."

She had, but he would come back.

Salem knew that.

Ruby knew that.

Salem didn't know that Ruby knew that.

Ruby needed Salem to continue to not know that Ruby knew that Salem knew that, until she told Ruby herself.

I think I had one extra 'knew that' in there by mistake.

Salem nodded. "You did, true, but know that I tell you no lies when I say that he shall return. Death cannot be permanent for that parasite."

Now for the rage.

Think of that feeling, that memory of losing Beacon because of a stupid sickness. Be angry, Ruby! Show it!

"He's what?" she nearly shouted, throwing her hands down in outrage. "But I killed him!"

"There is more to Ozma than you know, Rose."

Ruby snarled. "I don't care. I'll just kill him again. He should stay dead, that jerk!" She folded her arms. "Stole my life from me…jerk…"

"No matter how many times you destroy his mortal form, his spirit endures." Salem's fists tightened briefly. "Believe me, I've tried." She released her clutched fingers. "But if you side with me, little girl, I can promise you true vengeance against those who have wronged you. I can grant you power beyond your wildest dreams. Bind yourself to my will, and there shall be no enemy who dares stand in our way. What say you, silver eyes?"

"I…I…"

One more stutter to perfect it. Whenever she was flustered, Ruby knew that she always stuttered too much.

"I…okay. I'll do it."

"Excellent," Salem said. "However…"

Ruby's face fell as the enemy woman's grin enlarged and a door behind her opened.

"…we shall need to test your resolve."

The Faunus brought out before Ruby was a pitiful sight. On his knees, he could do little but struggle within the confides of the rope with which he had been tied, desperately screaming into the gag that was contained in his mouth. Every instinct inside Ruby told Ruby to help the poor man get free, or at least do something to comfort him.

"This is Professor Callows. You may not know him, but he was an instructor at Shade, specializing in the field of Geopolitics and Interkingdom Law. A genuine expert in his field, Mr. Callows has been described as. The best of his generation."

Salem placed her hands on his shoulders from behind.

"Kill him."

So.

So, this.

This was what the teachers back at Beacon had meant when they'd said what they'd said. Ruby was told she'd have to do evil things in the name of the greater good, but it hadn't really sunk in until now. Qrow was dead by accident, and Ozpin had been in on the joke when he passed. Being told that the worst was yet to come had sounded like something Ruby could handle, but with the weight of Crescent felt far greater in her hands now than it had in Beacon.

I'm Ruby Rose, a killer. My goal is to aid Salem in bringing down the academies and sowing chaos within the kingdoms.

Ruby held Crescent Rose in one hand, pointing the barrel downwards to meet up with the man's forehead.

You need to take the shot, Ruby. If Mr. Callows knew what you knew, he'd lay down his life for this mission. He's a huntsman.

There was pleading in his eyes, the pleading of an innocent man who wasn't ready to die yet.

But what would I be able to do to save him? Even if I chose to spare this teacher guy, there's no way I could get him to safety. I'm surrounded by enemies on all sides! All I'd accomplish is getting us both killed.

Her finger itched to pull the trigger, even as every instinct in her body screamed at her to stop. No, to turn around and run in the other direction.

One life can't compare. If I can't do this, what chance will I have to keep up the ruse as we go? Salem needs to see me as a bad guy. I need to show her and the others that I can kill people, just like I did to Ozpin.

As a wetness spread down the pitiable man's pants, Ruby thumbed the trigger and prepared to pull it.

Wait.

Wait!

Ruby held off on the shot for even longer as Salem's smile turned into a frown.

"You need to make your choice, Ruby," said Salem.

She…no matter what, she could not save him. If Ruby gave in to her better nature and tried to free Prof. Callows, she wouldn't be able to.

So, what kind of test was this?

There was no choice here: killing him was the only rational option. Even a good guy in a bad spot – a secret spy double agent person – would kill him, because he was already as good as dead. If Salem's people wanted to see if she was loyal, they weren't going to find out anything from this.

Ruby glanced Cinder's way. Cinder, who was desperate for Ruby not to embarrass her in front of Salem, would surely be egging Ruby on to take the shot with her eyes…

…if Ruby truly was supposed to take the shot.

Cinder was just watching the scene intently, but not nervously. She made eye contact with Ruby but didn't do anything. No subtle but frantic nods forward for Ruby to proceed, no anxiously mouthing 'do it,' no fear in her eyes that Ruby would be too weak to make the tough call and have it reflect poorly on her recruiter. Ruby had no idea what she wanted to see from this, but she imagined that if this test were exactly what it seemed, Cinder would be desperate to ensure Ruby went all the way and passed.

She wasn't. Cinder was just curiously observing.

Salem doesn't expect a ruthless killer. She doesn't even want one. She wants to corrupt a soft, fluffy little girl into a murderer…which means I'm not supposed to be the latter yet.

Lowering Crescent with hands that were genuinely trembling from stress, she let out the breath she'd been holding in.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I can't do it."

Salem's face drew into a scowl. "He's with the hunters, Rose. He trains the selfsame children who stole your future from you."

"I know," Ruby said. "But I'm not strong enough to…to…l-look, I get that he's a part of what I'm opposed to. But I'm just too scared. C-Couldn't we just keep him prisoner? I'm willing to let him die, but I can't do it myself."

"I can't say I'm pleased with you, Ruby. I thought you had the strength to do what was necessary." Salem tsked her lips. "This disappoints me, Ruby."

It didn't.

Ruby couldn't be sure what Salem's intended reaction from her was, but she hadn't wanted Ruby to do it.

"Y-You're going to kill me, then, aren't you?" Ruby asked. It didn't take much acting skill to stutter. It came naturally, in equal parts due to the Grimm-filled setting and due to who Ruby was as a person. "I-I-I can be loyal. Please, give me another chance." She fell to her knees, down on the floor next to the equally weepy scorpion Faunus. "Anything, I beg of you!"

Salem watched Ruby for a few seconds with narrow eyes, studying her reactions.

She clutched at Salem's dress and gasped in air as her voice cracked. "P-Please."

And then, Salem smiled from ear to ear.

"Oh, just perfect."

Ruby Rose was led off by Seers to the bathroom to clean herself off, likely having shit herself in fear. A huntress though she may have been, a natural killer she was not.

"I don't understand," Cinder asked, when the five of them were truly alone. "She killed Ozpin and Branwen. Why did you have a test in which she was meant to not kill someone?"

"That was less a test and more a formality. I merely wished to see her in action with my own two eyes."

"I don't follow. Why didn't she kill Tyrian? She'd already killed twice. I don't understand."

"You wouldn't," growled Hazel, disdain on his face. Cinder matched it with her own.

"Ruby isn't a murderer, Cinder," explained Salem. "She may have killed twice in a fit of passion, but passion wears off. I don't doubt she longs for her precious academies and the huntress life once more, to go back in time and have it all back, but that path is closed to her now, and her only option is us. We shall feed her, cloth her, protect her, and keep her off the streets, but every second spent in Evernight shall be a second bringing her closer to her destiny."

Watts nodded. "To be a weapon."

"No!" Salem said instantly, cutting Watts off not with anger but with certainty. "No, doctor, Ruby shall not become our monster. Her destiny is to become our dark hero."

"Provided she has the stomach," said Hazel.

"And the talent," Cinder added.

"Worry not for the specifics," said Salem. "No mere fool of a human could slay Ozma, whatever crippled form he took."

Cinder's mouth curled at that. She'd been willing to take on Rose as a disciple at the level of Emerald or Mercury (and keep her equally disposable), but only once she'd proven herself time and time again. To see a child…a huntress-in-training, of all things, so easily accepted to Salem's own table? It was not only an insult to everything Cinder herself had sacrificed to earn her own, but a security risk.

"How sure are we that she won't simply run back to our enemies when her resolve fails her next?" she asked Salem, careful to keep her tone as that of a concerned subordinate and not an insolent one. "On that matter, how certain are we that she isn't a spy? Ozpin's life is not exactly irreplaceable currency, your grace."

Hazel snorted. "More fool you."

"Had it just been Ozma himself, I might've suspected a trap," Salem said airily, as though such a thought was an oddity to be ridiculed. "But to kill his own prized war hound, Qrow Birdman?"

"Branwen," corrected Watts.

Salem's eyes fell upon him.

"Qrow Birdman it is," he said, touching his moustache in a fidget movement to hide his fear.

"Ozma loves his humans, more than he did our own children. It was for them that he turned on me. Even a single life would be too high a price for him, and this particular life was one of particular value to him."

Cinder nodded, now partially seeing the logic enough to understand why Rose wasn't under observation for treachery. She couldn't truly comprehend the whole human-loving portion – Cinder never was fully up to date on the concept of love and how it was supposed to be felt – but Ruby's uncle was an irreplaceable minion for Ozpin. There was no way Ozpin would discard him on the mere chance that Ruby piqued Salem's interest. Even were it guaranteed to buy some loyalty and a seat at Salem's table, it was still too high a price. Branwen had been trained for upwards of forty years as a huntsman, and his name was not spoken lightly in hunter circles. To lose that kind of investment was –

"Wait a second, how the hell did she even kill them?" Cinder said, momentarily forgetting herself in her shock and nearly shouting her question at Salem. "If Branw– if Birdman was so good, how could Rose have slain him? And Ozpin, too, on the same day?"

"He's her uncle," said Hazel. He paused, apparently realizing that Cinder wasn't going to comprehend that simple sentence for an explanation. "He trusted her implicitly, as I did my own sister. Rose would have had ample opportunity to stab him in the back when it was turned."

"A brief fleeting moment, and her life as she knows it ends," Salem said, glee in her tone. Cinder might've mistaken her for Ruby herself, given how childishly giddy her voice sounded. "And in the same stroke, her first juvenile foray into darkness, proving that it can have a place in her heart. All we must do is extend that place." She shook herself out of her bizarre state and placed her hands at her waist. "Ahem. As for Ozma, he could not rightly use magic in front of crowds. The body he last resided in, Headmaster Ozpenis, was crippled on the right leg by a now-fallen servant of mine, Rhodalion. It cost her her life, but she dealt a devastating blow, one worse than death for the reincarnating parasite called Ozma."

Cinder nodded. "I see. And Rose?"

"She's eager to earn her place among us. Her descent shall be gradual. We mustn't rush the poor thing, not so soon after she just lost her uncle. Training for her shall begin tomorrow."

Salem dismissed the four hunters under her command with a wave of her hand. Cinder, Watts, Hazel, and Tyrian turned to return to the halls leading to their respective rooms until they reconvene to dine.

"Oh, and Cinder?"

Cinder felt the pain of her Scarab gnawing against her insides before her queen even needed to lay out the threat. She had known that indebting herself to a new mistress following the death of her stepmother was a risky maneuver, but never had she anticipated that the rewards Salem offered of raw power came with such great risk. Still, she bore the agony with a neutral face and turned back to Salem, her head lowered respectfully.

"Do not raise your voice to me again. You are no longer irreplaceable."

Coming Soon – Ruby's New Home

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #766 – Having trouble losing weight? Try gaining weight instead – it's a lot easier!

Chapter Text

If there was one thing Ruby knew how to do better than anything else, it was be Ruby. She'd been doing it basically her entire life except for a short period when she turned 13, and she was the undisputed master of it.

Salem wanted Ruby Rose, the adorable tyke. That was what she was expecting. She had plans to eventually induct her into her inner circle and corrupt her, but she seemed to think that would take time (in reality, it would never happen, even if Ruby let her think it would), so for now, it was time for Ruby to be her best self. And by best self, she meant the most of her current self possible.

Since it was her first dinner with the gang, Ruby made sure to show up extra early. People often said fashionably late, but that just sounded dumb to her. Why show up after the party had started? To be fair, Ruby had never attended fancy dinners or parties before, but the point stood.

It proved to be the right decision, as she got a full view of each and every man or woman or Grimm as they entered the grand hall, which now was furnished with a spooky dining table, spooky chairs, and a spooky course of meals, all piping hot.

The first to enter was…Professor Callows?

"Wait, you're one of them? Er, of us?"

He nodded and used his scorpion tail to reach onto the table, snatch up a napkin, and press it into his shirt. Many creases were left in the cloth. "Pontosan így van, kedves gyermekem."

"W-What?" she said weakly.

"Rose, Szólnia kell, különben nem fogom hallani." He smiled and patted her on the head. "Ahogy mondtam: elnézést kérek a csalásomért. A királynő megparancsolta, hogy csaljak meg, és az övé vagyok, hogy parancsoljak."

Ruby blinked a few times, but the Faunus seemed to think that his mumbo jumbo had been enough to settle the matter and left her for a seat on the opposite side. Upon seeing him walk so far away from her, Ruby briefly worried that there were assigned seats, but a quick once-over on her current chair revealed that there were no names on the back.

Cinder came in next. She shot Ruby a single glare that promised Ruby was going to die violently, and then she sat down right next to Ruby in the only chair between Ruby's and the head of the table.

Ruby wasn't an expert on metaphors and symbolism, but she was fair certain from the way Cinder pointedly scraped out her chair and slid it closer to Salem's, she was trying to make a statement about their placement relative to the queen.

That doesn't bother me. I don't need to be the best here or anything. Cinder can have the glory; as long as I can get the Spring Maiden powers, she can be Salem's BFF and eat off of the same plate for all I care.

One of the men who'd been silent at Ruby's initiation before entered third. Ruby had never seen such a well-trimmed mustache before, not even from that fat guy at Beacon who was the Grimm teacher or something.

The man lackadaisically took a seat next to Tyrian. He spared Ruby a single look, then gave on to Cinder. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.

"Something to say, Arthur?" asked Cinder.

"Most pedig Cinder. a jó orvos csak nézett." Tyrian clapped his hands gleefully. "Nem történt kár, mi?"

"Watts' mere existence is harmful, Tyrian."

"So angry." Watts reached a hand over to his Faunus tablemate and aided him in tucking in the napkin that was haphazardly sticking out of his coat. "Is something the matter, young Cinder?"

Ruby had been waiting for the big tough guy with the muscles to show up next, but it was actually a canine Grimm that came in next.

"Doggo," Ruby said.

It didn't take a seat, instead parking its butt down on the floor at the end of the table exactly opposite Salem. Once it found its place, it didn't move a muscle, save for a dry whine that fell past its clenched jaw.

Arthur Watts, assuming that was his name and not Watts Arthur, deeply inhaled at the sight of the beast. Tyrian reached out onto the undisturbed buffet to grab a cut of meat from one of the roasts and threw it directly at the Grimm doggo. The slab landed on its cheek and fell off.

"Na jó, azt hiszem, egy új kutyát nem lehet régi trükkökre tanítani."

"Don't you mean an old dog?" asked Watts, an eyebrow raised. "And new tricks?"

"De a vadászkutya olyan fiatal!" Tyrian sorrowfully wailed, throwing his hands into the air in lamentation.

At long last, the occupant of the final non-royal seat finally arrived. In walked the hugely built human, a real tower of muscle and sinew.

"Ah, nice of you to join us, Hazel," said Watts. "We were beginning to…wonder…if…"

He trailed off as Ruby rose from her seat and stood between Hazel and his empty chair. The big man paused his gait and looked down at her with a blank stare.

"So," Ruby said, hands on her hips. "Ya think yer the biggest, baddest toughie in the cell block, eh?"

Cinder's face fell onto her empty plate.

"Well, there's a new chief in town, and her name is me." Ruby proudly pointed a thumb to her chest. "So you'd better move aside, or you're going to have to deal with…" Ruby flexed her wiry arms. "…this!"

After that display of intimidation, she turned around 180 degrees and took the seat Hazel was going to occupy before she'd stopped him.

Hazel said nothing and merely took the chair next to Cinder.

If they wanted Ruby, they were going to get Ruby.

"Csodálatos! Elképesztő!" Tyrian exclaimed, clapping both hands quickly. "Kivételesen zseniális!" He brushed a tear from his eye and sucked in his cheeks.

Cinder slammed her forehead into the table again and ground herself into it.

The Grimm doggo's tongue flopped out of its mouth to lick its eye, then fell back in. At no point did the frame or head of the beast move from where they had been. There wasn't as much as a twitch.

Watts opened his smirking mouth, but whatever dry remark he had been about to make died on his lips as the main doors opened once more.

In walked Salem.

Ruby knew better than to do something stupidly silly now. The normal Ruby Rose, the one who didn't have a secret mission, would've been quiet now, so she was too. The others stood, and she followed their lead on instinct. No one, not Cinder or Watts or even bonkers Tyrian, felt comfortable enough to even breathe as Salem claimed her spot. Even Doggo seemed especially still, now more than ever.

Salem said nothing as she gently strode up to her chair. Her hand raised, but instead of pulling it out by gripping the backboard, the body of the chair itself moved to slide outwards. Salem took her seat, and the chair glided back towards the table from which it had come.

Both of Salem's hands went onto the table. In her mind, Ruby knew she was doing nothing more than slowly and deliberately taking a seat and getting ready for dinner, but everything about her made it look like both practiced and foreboding elegance. The woman's horrid pallor and the general aura of fear that came from her castle might've helped.

"Let us dine."

And with that, the spell was broken. All planted their butts down in their chairs once more, and a few of the tentacle orb Grimm, the Seers, floated forward to serve them their meals. Ruby had been about to serve (and therefore embarrass) herself before they did, and it was only by luck that she survived.

The meal was…odd, to say the least. She hadn't been expecting Nevermore drumsticks and Ursa shank, but it wasn't just normal food either. Well, normal comparatively. It was all food, but it wasn't food that your average person ate on a daily basis.

Ruby looked down at her now served plate of braised lamb, whole raspberries, and mushrooms. There was nothing wrong with it, but it was just so much fancier than she'd ever eaten at home. Contrary to popular belief, Ruby's diet didn't exclusively consist of cookies. She ate a healthy and balanced diet of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, double cheeseburgers, onion cheeseburgers, and the occasional slice of pizza when it suited her.

"Is there something wrong, Rose?" Salem asked.

Ruby nearly jumped in shock, having been so absorbed in staring at her meal that she'd forgotten herself. "N-No, it's just…I wasn't expecting it to be so…"

"Human?" offered Salem.

Ruby bit her lips.

"Believe it or not, I am a human." Salem placed a mushroom on her tongue with her fork and chewed it down, fully swallowing before continuing to speak. "I am far more as well, but I remain human at the base of it all."

Ruby nodded.

"I do wonder: are you not curious as to what I am? You've barely questioned any of this. It's most odd…"

Uh oh.

But at the same time, not uh oh.

Ruby poked at her food. "I mean, it's kinda obvious who you are. Grimm castle, Grimm servants, evil minions – you're the Queen of the Grimm."

The others at the table turned to look at her following the strange wording, save for the doggo, who still continued to sit there and not eat.

"I mean, it's just an archetype that exists," said Ruby. "The Supreme Queen stands at the center of the hive of monsters, controlling them from afar. I saw a space show with the Borg Queen, and I saw a zombie movie with the Queen of the Undead. It's just like that. You're the power behind the scenes that commands the Grimm."

"Do you not wonder how I came to be?"

"I…huh." Ruby scratched at her head. "I guess I just never thought of it. Can you tell me how you came to be?"

"No."

"T-Then why…never mind." Ruby poked at her meat with her knife. "What can you tell me, then?"

Salem explained in between bites of her food. "I can tell you that I am not the monster you likely think I am. All I seek is what was denied to me many eons ago: peace. Beyond that, I have a minor interest in retribution against the man who wronged me, and against his ilk. It is through this shared goal that those at this table have found themselves aligned with me."

Watts nodded. "Atlas and I are old enemies. My Queen graciously offered to not only aid me in my research with resources aplenty, but to also apply the fruits of my labor towards expediting their inevitable destruction."

"Ozpin is dead, but his spirit lives on," grunted Hazel. "That is enough for me."

"A húsgombócért vagyok itt. Ó, és Salem nagyon menő, azt hiszem."

Ruby looked at Tyrian, then at Salem. "I-Is he okay?"

"No."

"T-The stuff he says is just gibberish."

Watts laughed at that. "Even having just arrived, she already acknowledges this. Young Rose, Tyrian says nought but nonsense."

Ruby sighed a breath of relief at that.

"Why, it sometimes almost feels like he's speaking another language."

Wait, ALMOST?!

The group's conversation moved on faster than Ruby could keep up with, and before she could ask why Tyrian was so messed up in the head, they were already discussing something else.

Well, let's just hope Tyrian has nothing to say. I can just get the details from Cinder if he does.

The table has begun to discuss something about the CCT and Watts' writing some code, so Ruby partially tuned out and looked instead at the doggo. It wasn't eating anything, though with its height, it was easily tall enough to reach the table.

Ruby rolled a raspberry off her plate and flicked it towards the Grimm with her spoon. The morsel rolled over to the spot at which it sat but prompted no response.

She glanced at the others. They were still distracted.

Ruby poked another berry onto her knife this time and tentatively held it out to the doggo. "Here you go, boy. Dogs can eat berries, so you can have a little snack."

The doggo kept its faced forward, eyes fixed on the Grimm Queen at the opposite end of the table, though Ruby liked to imagine that she saw its resolve waning in the face of the treat. Zwei always held out for a little before giving in while when she gave him a piece of chicken, for he knew that Dad didn't like for him to be fed people food.

Hmmm…how is Zwei doing? I wonder if he's surprised that Yang and I both left h–

At the thought of her sister, Ruby's breathing began to accelerate.

S-She's safe. She's in Beacon, and she's safe. Hurt, I'm sure, but that was bound to happen when Qrow died, and I couldn't go back and change that. Besides, Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch are adults, and they signed off on this plan.

That was the most reassuring part – that someone in a position of authority had told Ruby to do it all. Ruby dreaded imagining a world in which she'd gone to Beacon and been made team leader, for the responsibility would've surely tripped her up many a time.

"Hold."

"AAAAH!"

In her moment of inattention, Ruby had accidentally poked the doggo with her knife, raspberry and all, and it spoke! All fear of embarrassment went out the window as Ruby fell backwards, knocking over her chair and bumping Watts with her scrambling elbows as she did.

"That Grimm just talked!"

Ruby stared in distress at the Grimm, but it remained stationary at its perch. Aside from the single spoken phrase, it was so immobile one might've thought it a statue.

"Hold," it repeated, licking its once gums when its mouth opened.

"Ruby, perhaps you should avoid playing with things you don't understand," snapped Cinder, rising from her seat to pick Ruby off the ground. Well, she didn't pick up Ruby as much as she uprooted her like an overgrown turnip.

Still, Ruby accepted the help just the same. She hadn't really processed who it was coming from, for her eyes were fixated on the Grimm dog.

"I-I-It spoke!" she dumbly repeated, unsure of why the others weren't freaking. "W-Wait, are there other Grimm who…?"

"My hound is the first and only," Salem declared proudly. "When the time comes, he shall serve us greatly, provided the experiment is a success."

"As shall we all," noted Watts.

Salem said nothing, not even hearing him as she admired her hound's obedient position.

"We all serve," he said once more, to which Hazel nodded solemnly.

Ruby tore her eyes off of the Grimm in time to catch Cinder's own narrowing at the hound for just a second.

Intelligent Grimm – if she has those, she'll have no need for people like them. They must hate it. They must see it as a replacement that's come to steal their –

Ruby looked at Cinder again.

Oh.

The meal was a little bit quieter after that interruption. All of them seemed unhappy with the mention of the Grimm doggo, except for Tyrian. Ruby had a hard time gauging his reactions to anything.

It ran contrary to everything Ruby could have possibly thought about both desserts and evil villain castles, but there was an after-mean confectionary dessert course served. Ruby would've thought Salem cared little for having the presence of anything sweet in her presence, but that was apparently wrong.

It was also probably wrong to voice these thoughts aloud, but Ruby had already done it, so it was too late.

"No sweetness?" Salem actually laughed at that, quite heartily. "As I've told you, I am human. My tongue, while black, still contains taste buds that detect sugar, and the neurons in my brain release the chemicals for pleasure when that happens. I am not so old that I have lost touch with pleasure."

The Seers served her a plate of poached pears in white wine. Salem looked down at it and chuckled to herself once more.

"I must admit, it has been so long since I've encountered someone beyond the four souls within this room, it is rather refreshing to have a new perspective on my existence and nature. Serve loyally, and you shall do well here, young Rose."

Salem motioned, and the Grimm handed…er, tentacled Ruby her plate.

"I'm going to have to step in, your grace," Hazel randomly said, snatching Ruby's goodies away from her before she even had a chance. "It may seem like a trivial matter, but alcohol and developing minors do not mix."

"We're beyond the walls of the kingdoms," said Watts, digging into his own. "Surely laws do not bother you, Rainart."

"Add a lánynak a körtét, te kurva," Tyrian said, sounding somehow both calm and enraged at the same time. "Kurva…"

"If she is to be an investment, it would be best if she does not develop such an addiction in her youth, your grace. The laws of the kingdom exist to maintain order, and while we may wish to rewrite them in your image, we must heed sense." Hazel looked down at Ruby, both literally and figuratively. "Especially when the niece of Qrow Branwen sits before us. The weakness could be in her blood."

"Whuh – how dare you!" Ruby screeched, offended on behalf of herself, her uncle, and everything about this giant. "We weren't even blood related! That's why I killed him!"

She'd thought of that one a while ago. Qrow was dead and wouldn't mind, but it would be good to have an excuse if Salem ever pitted Ruby up against Yang or Dad, thinking she had no love for her family.

"In your patterns, then," Hazel amended. "We cannot have you inebriated or otherwise impaired. Another dessert can be brought for you, if you wish it."

Ruby frowned. She did wish it, but the smart part of her could already see Watts and Cinder watching her. She could practically feel the condemnation in their eyes – oh, look at that, watch the itty-bitty baby throw a tantrum for her sweeties. It would be best for Ruby to just let it go.

…except…

"I do wish it," Ruby said.

The smart part of her wasn't what called the shots here. She'd already committed to the Ruby part of her.

"What would you like?" Hazel asked. "The Seers keep a wide stock on hand."

"Fire ants," Ruby said, smirking victoriously. "I'd like one tankard of your finest fire ants."

That made Salem smile, thought it was more of a dismissive, condescending, insulting smile. Ruby didn't like the way it made her feel one bit (it reminded her too much of the looks the other Beacon students had given her when she'd gotten sick), but it was necessary. People had died for this, and she could stomach having to feign a little immaturity. Salem's smile was also predatory, like a lion watching the antelope leap into bounds.

What they didn't know was that Ruby wanted to be hunted. She was the antelope who…who had lined its horns with poison, and when they ate it, they would all get sick and…okay, animal metaphors weren't her strong suit.

"Fire ants," Hazel repeated. People seemed to be repeating a lot of things tonight.

"What's the matter, pal? Think I'm not tough enough?" Ruby reclined in her chair. "Then why don't we make it a challenge? You vs. me. If I can keep down more fire ants than you, I get your…your room. If you win, I'll do your chores for a month."

"Nincs házimunkánk," Tyrian commented.

Hazel nodded, the trappings of a disappointed frown on his face. "He's right. The Seers keep the castle clean."

"Sounds like the words of a coward." Ruby mimicked a chicken, flapping her arms at the elbow. "Bwak-Bwak-Bwak!"

Cinder was probably having an aneurysm at being so thoroughly humiliated by Ruby in front of her peers, but Cinder wasn't Ruby's objective.

That's probably enough. I shouldn't make myself look like an idiot. I just need to be a kid. My cover is myself, and I wouldn't draw out a joke for too long.

"So, what's it gonna be, big guy? You gonna give me back my pears, or will it be a good old-fashioned fire ant off?"

Hazel shook his head and took a step back when a sharp cry rang out.

"HOLD!"

The Grimm doggo rose suddenly, pulling out its tail from under Hazel's boot and knocking the man off its feet with surprising strength. It suddenly turned its fangs upon its mistress' servants, slashing two Seers to shreds with its mighty claws and sinking jagged teeth into Hazel's forearm.

"H-Hazel!" Ruby screamed. Crescent was with her, but it was folded up, and in the time it would've taken to open it, he could've lost the limb.

Ruby rushed forward with her semblance and charged into the doggo with a full body ram. That tore a chunk of human flesh from the injured man she'd saved, but it probably prevented the complete loss of limb. The hound had been aggressively shaking its head back and forth as it tore into the man's arm, like it was a wild animal trying to bring down much larger prey.

"Serve!" Salem yelled.

The doggo stopped moving entirely and bowed its head.

"Serve."

The chunk of missing flesh was dropped from its mouth.

"KKKKkkk…k…"

Hazel cradled his ruined arm, but it took him less than two full seconds to get his excruciating hiss of pain under control.

"Are you well?" asked Salem.

"No, my queen," Hazel said. "I…I…kkk…I am unfit."

Salem let out a sigh. "Take whatever resources you need to repair yourself from the supplies. Watts, fix him up as best you can. This dinner is adjourned. Yield."

The Grimm hound rose and trotted off in Salem's direction as she departed. "Yield."

The others bowed as she left, even Hazel, so Ruby went along with it. As soon as Salem was out of the room, she turned to the hurt huntsman.

"I'm so – are you okay?" Ruby frantically asked. "Can I help?"

"Can you?" snapped Cinder, from across the room. "Can you? Can you do anything right, you stupid insolent waste of space?"

"I – I –"

"You can't," finished Watts, chewing down the last of his pears and dabbing at his mouth with his napkin. "Loathe as I am to agree with Cinder of all people, you are ill equipped to treat Hazel's wounds. This is my domain. Remain in your own."

"O-Oh."

"That was not advice, girl."

Hazel and Watts went out of the room from a different door than the one Salem had come through. With them went any buffer between Cinder and Ruby.

"You," Cinder seethed. "You have ruined me."

"S-Salem wanted –"

"Salem wanted me." Two blades flicked out of Cinder's sleeve. "It is to be me."

In spite of Ruby being the one with super speed, it was Cinder who cleared the distance between them while Ruby was left in the dust. Crescent was still with her, but the fire in Cinder's eyes robbed Ruby of any will to fight before she could even think of reaching for her baby.

The edge tickled Ruby's throat, pressing against the terrified ex-huntress' aura.

"Th–"

"Cinder."

Both Ruby and the woman in question turned to the quiet Faunus who'd nearly been forgotten in the chaos of just a moment ago.

"Oh, and now you care for the girl?" Cinder said sarcastically. "I could end her before you even got out of your chair."

Tyrian said nothing. His fingers drummed against the table, providing the only noise in the room, and he raised an eyebrow.

Ruby was thrown to the ground with hatred and disregard.

"Stay out of my way," Cinder growled, returning her blades to their hidden sheathed and storming out of the room.

Now, they were truly alone. Ruby looked at Tyrian, but he still remained in his chair at the dining table. There wasn't any food or drink in front of him.

"T-Thank you."

He offered a smile and a nod.

"I-I'm going to go to my room. The one down the hall and to the left, right?"

"Helyes, Rose."

Ruby's eyes nervously shot left and right. "U-Uh. Yeah. Sorry about nearly shooting you in the…yeah, never mind. I'll just go."

When Ruby left the room, the candle lights flickered down to nothing. Tyrian was still tucked into his seat.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Training

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #18 – Ladies, do you have a crush on a boy, but you're too afraid to ask him out on a date? Ask out my Uncle Qrow instead! He's hot, single, and ready to – oh, wait, no, I killed him. Never mind.

Chapter Text

The next morning's breakfast was not a communal affair. It appeared that Salem tended to hold group meetings with feasts and merriment only to mark monumental occasions in her organization, to address specific detrimental failures, or to check in on their progress at key junctures in the plans. Since Cinder had been planning to hunt down a maiden but had to swerve out of the way to collect Ruby instead, it was something of a mixture of the three.

Ruby was saddened that she was going to have to eat alone for the first time in a while, but after dinner went so horribly wrong, she conceded that it might've been something of a blessing given the company she now kept.

Dr. Arthur Watts might not have been much of a fighter, but it was apparently thanks to him that the Evernight Castle even stayed standing in the first place. His hacking was responsible for diverting a few automated drone food and supply shipments their way, ensuring that the folks there didn't starve, get sick, or run out of supplies. He only did it once a month, on different days every time to avoid attracting attention, but since the companies from which he stole (Iron Lion Foods, Medica Pharmacies, Hypro-Mart) were such large mega-corporations, they rarely tended to miss a handful of drones going missing out of the tens of thousands they flew.

It was because of Dr. Watts that Ruby got to eat Pumpkin Pete's cereal for breakfast instead of dried Beowolf jerky, so she made a mental note to send him a thank you card after training today.

Salem had decreed that Ruby was to be trained by Cinder. The message was delivered by Seer, sparing Ruby the uncomfortable meeting that would require Ruby to look Cinder in the face when it was announced that the latter's plans in Vale were being postponed until Ruby was up to snuff.

She knew Cinder hated her. After last night, there was no doubt. However, Cinder was clearly combat capable, and if she could hold off Miss Goodwitch and Ruby from a moving bullhead, there was clearly a lot she could teach Ruby. The only problem was that Ruby wasn't sure she wasn't going to unfortunately and quite tragically perish in an utterly unavoidable training accident under Cinder's supervision. It would truly be a shame, but there would have been nothing Cinder could have done to prevent it.

Still, she couldn't just say no, so Ruby made sure to get to the sparring room a half-hour early. She didn't want to give the appearance that she was better at being early than Cinder, but it would be even worse if Cinder were forced to wait for her. The training room was mostly just a matted floor with a few archaic pillars scattered throughout, lacking a combat ring or any sort of aura monitoring devices. In fact, the whole tower seemed to be devoid of technological influence, instead relying on far more outdated things like candles for lighting. There weren't stands either, but the lack of an audience to watch the show made that obvious.

Well, the near lack of one.

Two figures sat just beyond the portal to the room. One was the Grimm doggo from before. It lay curled up much like a resting dog would on the left side of the entrance. Ruby had nearly tripped over it when she'd immediately turned to the side of the room to drop off her scroll and stuff at the side before getting in some stretches.

The other figure was Tyrian. He knelt on the right as though praying, though his hands were not in any particular pose.

When Ruby saw him, he rose to his feet. "Якщо у вас виникнуть проблеми з Cinder, наша собака виправить їх." His hand gestured to the doggo. "Якщо це все, я виведу себе. Вдалих тренувань, молодий Rose."

With that, he left.

Ruby watched him shut the door behind him, as did the doggo. Unlike last night (before the massacre of Hazel's arm), it wasn't making an effort to be completely and utterly motionless today. It scratched itself, gnawed on its own foreleg and paw, made Grimmy noises that Ruby would've best described as whimpering, and even rose up to stretch its back like normal dogs did every once in a while.

Cautiously, she approached it. Crescent was ready for a defensive block at a moment's notice, but Ruby wasn't planning to do anything unless it did first.

Or would it be he? The dog somehow looked male, but there was no true evidence other than a masculine body type, and Ruby's instincts could easily have been wrong. Like all Grimm, it didn't seem to have any parts down there. Such things didn't really matter for any serious purpose, but Ruby didn't want to keep thinking of it as an it after she'd heard it speak last night.

"What are you?" she asked, knowing that no answer was coming.

"See," it answered, startling her a tiny bit. Still, it talking was no true surprise anymore, so she didn't flinch or anything.

"See…last night was hold. You were told to stay put." Ruby scratched at her chin. "She's training you, but you're not a normal dog. You talk. You understand." She looked into its eyes to see if she could find anything intelligent beyond the usual Grimm mindlessness. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"See."

Welp, it was to continue on as a mystery, then. Ruby turned around and stretched out her arms and legs, hoping to maybe get a little light exercise in before Cinder got here. Now that she was going to conceivably be running with pro-hunters and super Grimm for the foreseeable future, it wouldn't do to not be fighting at her best.

It was an hour later than Cinder was supposed to be there that she arrived. Ruby was slightly sweaty from running a few laps around the court and doing some practice moves with Crescent just to keep up her form, but it was nothing intense. She knew better than to expend all of her energy on warm-ups before the combat instructor even got there.

Wiping the sweat off her brow, she stood at attention. Cinder would probably be more reasonable if Ruby were sure to show her whatever respect she desired and make it clear that she had no intention of usurping Cinder's spot at the council of Salem.

All I want is the maiden powers. Unless Cinder is only in it for those, we don't have any quarrel. And if she is…well, she doesn't need to know what I'm after until I've already stolen it from under her nose.

"Rose," Cinder said. "I see you've kept yourself busy. I apologize for my tardiness, but an urgent –"

"See."

Cinder's head turned to doggo. The smarmy expression on her face vanished, only to be replaced by an entirely neutral one. Without taking her eyes off of the Grimm, she asked Ruby, "How long has that been there?"

"A bit before I came in," Ruby answered honestly.

"When was that?" Cinder asked.

"Um…a-about an hour and a –"

"Why didn't you come and find me?!" Cinder said suddenly. Her voice was oddly modulated, though. She didn't sound like she did when she'd been furious and ready to kill Ruby before. Now, she just seemed plain angry, like Ruby had spilled coffee on her dress or accidentally dropped a beetle onto her donut and said nothing when she'd eaten it by accident. She was shouting, not screaming.

"I – I –"

"If you knew that our training was so important that Queen Salem allocated her hound's time to observing over it, you must've been able to figure out that it took priority over…my other duties! You stupid girl!"

Oh.

She was trying to deflect the blame.

Oh.

Wow, Cinder was really blatant about it, though. The way she spoke made it sound like she was playacting, not genuinely upset at the waste of Salem's doggo's time. Did she not get how normal people acted and thought an obvious charade like this would pass? Even Salem herself seemed more reasonable than this, and she was the evil queen and all.

"I'm so sorry," Ruby squeaked, hoping that her own playacting wasn't just as transparent. As much as it irked her that Cinder was so ready to throw her to the Beowolves at the first sign of trouble, she didn't need to stir up trouble. At least not intentionally.

"Never mind," Cinder said, turning her head away angrily. "I'm here now, meaning that your choice to squander our time is not absolutely ruinous. I've been ordered to train you, and train you I shall. Now, I must first get an understanding of the level at which you fight before I can turn your body into a weapon. To this end, we shall spar."

She really liked the sound of her own voice, didn't she? Only the last sentence even mattered. Honestly, only the last three words even mattered.

"Yes, ma'am!" Ruby said with a salute. "I'll do my –"

Cinder drew an arrow and fired it at Ruby.

Ruby threw herself down to the floor stomach first, then rolled out of the way as Cinder broke her bow into twin swords and tried to slice her in half. It had the unfortunate side effect of meaning that she was essentially lying on Crescent Rose, which prevented her from drawing it out when Cinder tried to step on her head.

She's not trying to get any understanding of anything –!

Ruby used her semblance to get herself to higher ground, in this case one of the elevated window frames closer to the ceiling. Cinder was clearly hoping to take out some of her frustration on Ruby under the guise of training, which left Ruby with a tough choice.

If she put up a fight, Cinder would probably take it a step further and try to actually kill her. On the other hand, if Ruby rolled over and let Cinder wail on her for free, it could be reported back to Salem as a sign of weakness. Salem had explicitly said that her interest in Ruby was using Ozpin's ex-student against him, meaning that it was Ruby's status that made her valuable, and as more of a curiosity/pet project than an invaluable fighter. Of course, if Ruby couldn't pull her weight, the symbolic victory of using Ruby to destroy Ozpin and the academies wouldn't seem as tempting as the actual victory of using someone good like Cinder. It was made worse by the fact that Cinder was known to Salem, and far more likely at the moment to succeed in her task.

I need to fight, Ruby decided. As long as my aura is up, she won't physically be able kill me. The second it goes down, I need to ensure that the doggo is watching. She can't hurt me fatally in front of it.

Crescent Rose twirled to block the arrows that rained upwards towards Ruby, but she was forced to flee from her temporary reprieve when Cinder pumped a fist to send a fireball her way. Landing in a roll, Ruby went on the offensive, firing sniper shots at Cinder's legs in a hope to trip her up or perhaps tear off a chunk of her aura.

Cinder danced through the bullet fire, using the motions of dodging to actually get up closer to Ruby. By the time Ruby's eyes were off of the scope of Crescent, Cinder was already driving a glass blade across her upper chest.

The motion sent Ruby backwards, and Cinder capitalized on that by kicking up a splash of fire with her shoes. Ruby saw it coming, but there was nothing she could do to prevent it, since she herself was still falling from the first hit.

The glass swords nearly got her a second time when Cinder surged forward, but Ruby blocked them before they could. It was tempting to try and score a few hits on Cinder's undefended bare legs, but that felt too much like a trap. Besides, Ruby's biggest advantage was in how big her weapon was comparatively. Cinder would never not see it coming, but her scythe could defend a wider area if Cinder tried anything.

Falling into a defensive posture against a superior opponent came naturally to Ruby. In fact, between the fire and the proclivity for up-close-and-personal combat, Cinder sort of reminded her of fighting Yang. Of course, that scowl was nothing like Ruby's sister. Yang never frowned during a fight with her baby sis. Come to think of it, Ruby could barely remember Yang frowning whenever she was around. That probably meant Yang just hid her tears for when Ruby wasn't present, which wasn't exactly a good thing.

"Pay attention!" Cinder said, missing another hit that Ruby countered with the staff of her sniper. "Don't ignore me!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Ruby hastily replied, not sure how to take the genuinely useful advice. She was supposed to know better than getting sidetracked with some other train of thought in active combat. What would Uncle Qrow say if his prized pupil – oh.

Oh, yeah.

"I wasn't – argh! Stupid child!"

Cinder followed up with a flurry of antagonistic strikes that were weak individually but collectively managed to drive Ruby backwards by the sheer force of their relentless push. It put Ruby's back to the wall, meaning there was nowhere left to run, but that also gave Ruby some leverage. Leaping up, she kicked out into Cinder's stomach and used the wall to push off, augmenting the force of her already strong strike (Ruby didn't skip leg day). Cinder was sent flying backwards to the far side of the room.

You're good, but you aren't untouchable. Neither of us are maidens, which means neither of us can afford to lose ourselves during a fight, Cinder.

"You bitch!" screamed Cinder, picking herself up. "I'll fucking kill you!"

"See."

"Shut up, you damned mutt!"

"Please try not to be cruel to our hound, dear Cinder," said a female voice from the doorway. "After all, I did only send him your way to ensure you had ample motivation to excel."

In spite of her overwhelming rage, Cinder somehow managed to calm herself down in the presence of Salem and kneel. "Your grace."

"It does appear to be a correct decision on my part to attend this training session in person, though," Salem said. "I believe I might've misheard something just a moment ago that sounded much like a death threat."

"I had no intention of following it through," Cinder said, lowering herself even further.

"Oh, it's fine," said Ruby. "People back at Signal used to say much worse trash talk, but they never went through with it."

Even though it was in her favor, the look on Cinder's face said she didn't appreciate Ruby intervening.

However, Salem herself was not a blind woman.

"Cinder, dear, I can see you glaring at young Ruby. By the cursed gods, I can practically see your brain trying to think up a way to rid yourself of her presence while disguising it as an accident."

Cinder shook her head. "I would never, my queen."

"Ah, but I think you would. Furthermore, I mentioned motivating you to train Ruby, but it was clear I failed to do so. I doubt you will train her…not for any lack of skill on your part, but for a simple lack of desire to see her succeed on your part."

Salem stepped closer to the kneeling woman and bade her rise.

"So, I shall clear the air between the three of us right here. You want the maiden powers. You shall not receive them."

Cinder froze. Everything – her mouth, her eyes, her entire body – stopped moving.

"Ruby will."

I am so going to die.

But there was no glare. Instead, Cinder shifted uncomfortably.

"Now, I realize that this may not seem like a good way to get you invested in her success. After all, while I may care about subverting Ozma with his own silver-eyed warrior, why should you?"

Cinder winced. "Mmmmm…"

Salem ignored Cinder's groan and walked right past her to Ruby. "You only care for power, Cinder, power I promised you. Sadly, I must renege on our deal."

Cinder fell to her knees and reached out a hand. "Y-Your grace…"

"So, I shall educate you with a new lesson. Power is nothing but a means to an end, and that end is survival. If you attempt to kill Ruby when I am not looking, the Scarab I placed within your arm shall burrow its way through your heart. It cannot be removed, and it cannot be deterred."

"Nnn…NNNNRRRR!" Cinder pounded a fist into the floor. "PPPPLLLLLEEEEEASE!"

"I know you, Cinder, and I know you shall attempt to find some way around this. Perhaps it will be an accident during a mission, or she'll fall from great heights when I am not looking, or some other curious death. I care not. Know this, young Cinder. If Ruby dies, I shall not look for evidence. I shall simply kill you, regardless of the means. If she mysteriously dies overnight with no murder weapon or motives apparent, I shall kill you. If a maiden kills her on one of her missions, I shall kill you. If she chokes on a cherry pit, I shall kill you. If Ozma's next incarnation were to walk through that door right now and kill her in front of us, I shall lay the blame at your feet and kill you."

Any coherent words died, and Cinder began to writhe back and forth on the ground in agony. It was so much that Ruby had to look away.

"I consider this fair, Cinder. If Ruby is killed, that means that you did not train her adequately, or perhaps that you did not protect her suitably before she could be trained to the appropriate level for her assignments."

Salem held out a hand, and Cinder stopped moving so violently. Her body still twitched slightly, and she was clearly alive from the fact that she was holding herself up, but she looked thoroughly drained.

"Say it," she demanded.

Cinder took a moment to get her breathing under control. And then…

"I am nothing without you…my queen."

"Correct," Salem stated. "Now, there is one more task we three must see to. Ruby, please hold out your arm."

Ruby did, without question.

"You must become a suitable vessel for the maidens, but none can ensure a dying woman's last thoughts are on them. You shall need my gift if you are to circumvent this transfer pathway."

The gift is a…a…

Ruby didn't dare ask the question. Secret mission or not, fear or not, concern for having a Grimm beetle crawl into her arm or not, there was no way from Remnant to the shattered moon that she was going to question Salem after that.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Training But For Real

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #962 – Save money by cancelling your car insurance, then reapplying just before you get into an accident so you're still covered.

Ruby's Tip #800 – Never try to suck snake venom out of an open wound. A far more effective method is to suck the snake's venom glands dry before the bite even occurs.

Chapter Text

Ruby had never expected to become part Grimm before she even turned sixteen, but here she was, with one beetle buddy who was now a permanent resident of 3001 Ruby's Arm Avenue.

Receiving it had knocked the oomph out of her for the afternoon, but Cinder hadn't really been in any mood physically or mentally to continue with their 'lesson,' so both women had silently left for their rooms with no further discussion. The doggo that had been watching them was already gone, having followed at Salem's heel when she left first.

Ruby turned her arm over to look at her elbow. She was currently trying to see if she could find any outline of the beetle, just to figure out where it was at the moment.

I can't see any bulge or outline. That means it must be inside of the flesh or bone, not just under the skin.

It hadn't hurt when she got bugged, just tired her out a lot, but Ruby had seen from Salem's domination of Cinder that it very easily could. That would mean bad things when the time came for Ruby to end her mission.

If she orders it to crawl into my heart when I get the maiden powers, I'll lose them. I could think of someone else in my last moments, but it'd be equally likely that Salem would just have the beetle stun me from the inside and then switch the powers to Cinder. Dust, if the beetle can steal it, she might just have my one crawl out and barf them up into Cinder's one.

When that time came, she would have to figure something out. Hopefully she would have a better understanding of how the Scarab worked, though there was always the old reliable Crescent Rose to take the entire limb off. It wasn't ideal, but Ruby's body was now home to an intrusive presence that had no business being inside of her, and she would do whatever it took to free herself.

It was the next day when Ruby felt up for getting out of her room. Said room was little more than a bed, a single glass mirror, and a wooden stool, so she'd spent most of her free time sleeping. Ruby got the distinct impression that time off wasn't really that much of a concept around here, and she'd be expected to put most of her time into furthering Salem's goals, training, or other more productive activities.

The entire castle didn't have doors. In their place were these weird membrane thingies that schwooped open and closed in a circular motion. As Ruby schwooped out of her membrane thingy and entered into her hallway, she realized that she really had no idea what she was going to be doing. Training, most likely, but until Cinder reached out to her with a gameplan, she had no distinct strategy.

If she's cooped up in her room, visiting her is probably a poor choice. I'll go to the same room as yesterday and train on my own until she's ready to face me.

Ruby wasn't looking forward to that. If Cinder had been frosty to her before, then learning that Ruby was going to be taking her place and getting the one thing she wanted from Salem was the whole dang mountainside avalanche. Salem may have decided for the both of them that Cinder was going to be training Ruby at perpetual beetlepoint, and Cinder would pretty much have to acquiesce to that, but that didn't mean Cinder had to like it. There was no doubt that hateful glares, frigid silences, and wrothful clenched fists were going to be their future from here on out.

I'm glad none of this is real, or it might get tough. This is a competitive place, and since Cinder's been around here for longer than the others, they'll probably take her side rather than my own in a heartbeat.

"EEEP!"

Ruby, so caught up in her thoughts, hadn't even seen the black shape until she'd tripped over it entirely.

She picked herself up and rubbed her forehead in the spot it had banged against the stone. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!"

"Hold."

The sight of the doggo filled Ruby with terror, for she recalled in vivid detail how exactly it had paid back Hazel for merely backing up onto its tail. Ruby had tripped over it entirely, knocking them both over in the process, which meant she was woefully unable to defend herself when…

When nothing. The doggo didn't react to being knocked over at all. It simply laid there on its side on the floor, not moving a Grimm muscle to upright itself or exact vengeance upon Ruby.

"Hold."

Tightly gripping the flabs of flesh on her forearms, lest this all be a trick to get her to lower her guard, Ruby scrambled to her feet and ran away from the doggo. She only dared to look backwards once, and it yielded no new results.

"Hold. Hold. Ho…"

Rounding the corner, Ruby paid much closer attention to herself and where she was going as she moved. She knew from memory that the training room was just around the corner. The membrane door slipped open, and Ruby entered to find that she was not alone.

"Oh. C-Cinder. Hey, I wasn't…er, I hope I wasn't…I amn't…I'm not interrupting anything, am it?" Ruby's face would've turned red in mortification if it weren't instead turning pale in fear. She hadn't been ready to face Cinder, and her fear was making itself shown.

I need to be ready for anything. She might just decide to go out in a blaze of beetle glory in one final act of revenge.

Cinder giggled.

She…

Wait, she giggled?

Ruby must've misheard or mis-seen what was before her, because Cinder didn't seem like the kind of girl to giggle. She might've laughed in your face when your puppy died, and she no doubt had a killer cackle for moments most menacign, but giggling? The only things less Cinder than giggling were hugs, kisses, and tickles.

Cinder got up from her crosslegged sitting position and approached Ruby. Her mouth was stuck in a wide smile.

Oh crap. Her mind's finally snapped, which means my spine is about to follow.

Cinder placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

I'm going to die today. This is where my life ends.

"You're so adorable, Rubes."

It's over. Doggo, you can have my scythe when I'm gone. Tyrian, tell my story in whatever language it is you speak.

Cinder pulled Ruby in for a tight hug. This was it. The constrictive motion would only worsen until Ruby's lungs were devoid of air.

The older woman released her younger companion. "Anyways, I wanted to apologize."

Ruby blinked. She considered slapping herself but decided that she would probably need the aura.

"I…" Cinder looked away and awkwardly brushed her hair off of her cheek. "…I don't think I've been treating you very fairly. There were a lot of negative emotions that got me in a very bad place mentally, and I took it out on you. I owe it to you to get down on my knees and let you know how sorry I am."

And then Cinder knelt before Ruby in a vaguely Mistrilian bow of apology, and the alarm bells that had been ringing in Ruby's mind went into fucking overdrive and jumped to warp straight into the next galaxy.

Danger! Danger! Danger of a stranger variety!

"So, can you find it in yourself to forgive me, Ruby?" Cinder cupped Ruby's cheek with one hand upon rising. "I'm really, really sorry."

As Cinder said it, she made a little pout with her lips that looked like it was genuinely sad but also trying to be a little cute while she was at it.

What the heck is going on?! She hated me yesterday, and then I got her into trouble with Cinder, and –

"– course I accept your apology," said a voice that sounded like Ruby's. "There's no need for –"

– acting nice now? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever! Cinder's not the forgiving type, and she certainly isn't the cuddling type either. This has to be a trick, or a trap, or a –

"– wonderful occasion," Ruby's mouth finished enunciating, a smile on her face. "So, would you care to train together? I, for one, would love to."

After a long hard day of training, it made more sense now what Cinder's game was.

It wasn't the training that gave it away, not by a long shot. No, the big reveal all began when Cinder had pointed out that Ruby must be all hot and sweaty under that new hood of hers that Watts had stolen from a clothing store shipping vessel, and that she must've been more comfortable without it. Ruby had followed along, willing to go along with the training regime and more than happy to part with her hood (it wasn't Ruby's original; that had been left in Vale). It also was hot, though that was probably due to the fact that Cinder was artificially heating up the room using her semblance, even though she thought Ruby didn't notice.

But hey, the training was going well, so Ruby let it slide. Cinder was actually a good teacher when her goal was to teach Ruby a lesson, not 'teach Ruby a lesson.' Ditching the hood did cool her down, so she continued their hand to hand combat in her T-shirt and leggings.

That on its own wasn't too much, but the next part was too obvious. Both of the women were still wearing suitable combat gear that was all rated PG. What gave it away was when Cinder pinned Ruby and held her for a second too long while staring into her eyes. The real Cinder that Ruby had met in Vale and flown with to the Grimmlands and eaten dinner with would've smirked victoriously at having bested her opponent and had them at her mercy, but this new Cinder just radiated a sheer sense of loving warmth and cooperative affection.

In short, Cinder had decided that, one way or another, the maiden powers would be under her control.

They might've, if not for the fact that a) Ruby was secretly working for Ozpin, and b) Cinder had no comprehension of human emotions and was far too blatant in what actions she expected to appear romantic. It felt more like they were speedrunning a romance movie, the yucky kind that Yang and her friends loved to watch but Ruby didn't care for when they went to the cinema. They were going through things like a checklist with no buildup, and the change from yesterday's behavior was too jarring to ignore. Ruby might've bought an apology if it were more genuine and less seductive, but she didn't buy Cinder suddenly realizing that she was desperately in love with the little child who'd upstaged her and been the cause of her being subjected to torment.

She's going too fast, was all Ruby could think as Cinder's lips pressed into her mouth. Think of this as a valuable lesson, Ruby. I need to learn from her what not to do when trying to trick someone.

Oh, yeah, there was that too. When Cinder pressed her lips into Ruby with a triumphant smile, she probably thought she had outsmarted her simple witted child of a minion and seduced her to be firmly under Cinder's thumb. She hadn't. Ruby got nothing out of the kiss…nothing physically, that was.

Two could play the game of letting romance get them what they needed.

With Cinder on her side, in the week they spent holding personal training sessions day in and day out, Ruby improved more than she had in a year of scattered, hour-long P.E. lessons at Signal.

"Oh, you're just so adorable, Ruby!" Cinder said to her 'girlfriend,' planting a kiss on her cheeks. Ruby vibrated with excitement at the fake praise.

Watts looked like he was about to throw up in his mouth. Tyrian, on the other hand, was excitedly clapping. Hazel was still absent due to his injury. Salem and the doggo didn't even seem to care, instead focusing on either their meals or on being mistaken for a statue, respectively.

They had been called together for another dinner to commemorate Hazel's imminent return to active duty, at which juncture he would be sent out to look for the Spring Maiden, as well as Dr. Watts' long-awaited return to Atlas. Watts was being tasked with finding some sort of palladium robot that they had built and stealing it, which was kind of dumb because palladium was waaaaaay too hard to come by since it was one of the rarest metals on Remnant. However, if Ruby spoke up and pointed this out, it was possible he would be sent to aid Hazel instead, and Ruby didn't want that.

Or do I? she wondered to herself as she sat down for the meal. I don't have a plan for the beetle, but the sooner I get the maiden powers, the sooner I can get out of here and have Goodwitch exonerate me. They said I might have to do evil things for my cover, but if I don't and still can complete my mission, that's all the better.

Ruby looked down at her arm. The beetle…it was inside of her. Was it possible that it could hear her thoughts? But if it did, Salem would've known of her treachery the moment she'd put it in…

It was in that moment that Ruby felt a knife pass between her ribs.

"Oh, thanks for cutting my ribs for me, Cinder."

"Of course, little Rose," Cinder said, generously lathering on some sauce and spreading it all over them.

Salem's been looking for the maidens for years. I think it's unlikely that she and her people will find them the week I show up. Anyways, I need to train more if I'm going to claim the Spring Maiden's powers.

When the time came, Ruby would hopefully be dispatched alone, reason with the maiden to come back to the good guy's side, and they would become best friends and go to Beacon together. In a worse scenario, Cinder or one of the other minions would be sent with her, and Ruby would need to spirit the maiden off with her semblance. In a worser scenario, Ruby wouldn't be able to convince the maiden of her argument and would have no choice but to kill her. In the worst scenario, Ruby would need to kill the maiden, kill the minion, and cut of her own arm.

"Ruby? You haven't touched your food."

Ruby blinked herself out of her stupor and looked down at the table. Everyone else was nearly finished with their meals, meaning that she'd been thinking to herself for a lot longer than it had seemed. Salem was looking at her with worry.

"Oh, sorry."

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh, absolutely. Just a bit worn out from a day of training with Cinder."

That got a raised eyebrow from Salem, directed not at Ruby but Cinder. "I would've thought that your appetite would be increased by the effort. Are you sure you're not unwell? I would be most displeased to hear you were overworked during your training."

Ruby forced a smile. "H-Heh, if I'd known you were going to grill me this much, I would've covered my body in raw hamburger patties. I'm really fine, Miss Salem."

"Your grace," coughed Cinder under her breath.

Ruby saw the lifeline for what it was and thanked Cinder with her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, the reason I haven't eaten anything is because we haven't said grace yet."

"Grace?"

Ruby nodded vigorously. "I gotta say a thing before I can eat, in honor of the Gods of Light and Darkness."

She actually didn't, since Ruby had never had enough time for that uber devout religious stuff, but it was a convenient enough excuse. There was probably a bunch of other ones she could've used, but Cinder knew Salem better, so if she thought that Ruby would be best off going with a fake grace, Ruby would trust her judgment.

"Ruith," said Tyrian.

"Huh?"

Ruby looked up.

Salem remained in her seat, but the look on her face was not a happy one. Watts was already stepping out of the room, closing the door behind him as Tyrian desperately fiddled with the knob.

"What?" Ruby asked.

Salem stood.

The dining table flew backwards, as did all of the chairs. Ruby screamed as she fell to the floor in a rainstorm of food, cutlery, dishware, and battered Seers that were caught in the barrage. Her aura wasn't up to block any damage, but nothing hit her with enough force to break the skin. Cinder had possessed enough wherewithal to protect herself with her own…meaning she'd seen the attack coming.

"Huh…huh…huuuuuuh…"

The only thing more ominous than Salem's ragged breathing were the cracks in the walls forming all around them. Ruby tried to get up, but her hand caught in a spill of her milk on the table when she gripped it for leverage, and she slipped. Cinder looked down at her once, then towards the door.

If Salem kills me here, Cinder might not be blamed for it. Might not. Still, it's her best chance.

The amber pupils flicked back and forth as the mental calculation was made. Ruby tried to get up again, but her leg caught on something – probably the underside of an overturned chair – and she failed to. Panic was making her sloppy, for all of the knives and shards of broken glassware and ceramic pottery in the room were slowly levitating into the air, stopping when they reached eye level. Salem was shaking with rage.

"Hold," said the doggo, unmoved and miraculously undisturbed by any of the flying objects.

A hand grabbed Ruby's right wrist, hoisted her to her feet, and pulled her out the opposite door.

S-She…

At the same time, a hand grabbed Ruby's left wrist, picked her up, and yanked her in the direction of the first door.

Cinder tried to pull Ruby to her door. "We need to –"

" – falbh!" finished Tyrian, jerking the girl in his own direction. For once, the madman scorpion Faunus' eyes didn't seem to be dripping with mischief.

Knowing that this little tug of war would inevitably end in their mutual demise, Ruby made the executive decision of pulling Tyrian towards the door Cinder had chosen, since it was closer. However, at the last moment, a swirling maelstrom of blades shot out in every direction as Salem screamed.

Ruby let out a cry of her own, and then things got really shiny bright but also blurry, and Salem slowed down a bunch…and…

Coming Soon – Ruby's New Moves

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #58 – You don't actually need loads of money to find true happiness. You need shitloads of money.

Chapter Text

When Ruby awoke, she was in Cinder's bed. The owner of the room was sitting beside her, gently patting her on the head.

"W-What happened? Why did…i-is everyone ok?"

"Focus on yourself, little one. You've been out for nearly a day."

Out? Out of what? The last thing Ruby could remember was going to dinner after a long day of training, and then Salem had been asking her something, and…it was all blurry now. Try as she may, nothing could come to Ruby of the events that had followed Salem asking about…burgers? Barbecues? It was all such nonsense, so much so that Ruby wondered if Tyrian had done some brain surgery on her when she was out to garble her memories up.

"What happened?"

Cinder ran her hand through Ruby's hair. "You used your eyes to stun Salem. When she came to, her temperament seemed to have improved, and she recalled her goals of spiting Ozpin. At the time, I think she just los–"

"Eyes?"

Cinder looked down at Ruby. "Yes. Your silver eyes."

"I used my eyes…" Ruby tried to look at her own eyes, only to realize after a second that such action was impossible. "…w-what? My eyes?"

Cinder smiled softly. "You need not fear. The Scarabs cannot hear us."

"W-What?"

Why does she think I would…d-does she knew I was worried about Spring…?

Ruby didn't realize she was panting from distress until Cinder silenced her with a kiss. It didn't do anything to help Ruby's aching skull or terrified heart, and it certainly wasn't the calming lover's embrace Cinder seemed to expect it to be, but it did remind Ruby that she couldn't have a breakdown in front of an enemy. However, she was far too stressed out by the sudden infodump to speak, so she just held her tongue.

"Salem is not upset by your actions, nor is she fearful of your eyes. At best, they can only delay her briefly, not unlike the effect of conventional physical damage or a heavy Dust attack. You need not feign amnesia."

"Cinder, I really don't…"

Ruby didn't think she could say anything more without giving something away, so she just didn't speak. She felt woefully underprepared for this whole thing. Why couldn't Ozpin have sent a real spy instead of a snot-nosed kid who had a heart attack every time something went wrong?

The dark-haired woman studied Ruby for a second, and Ruby let her study her. She hadn't been lying about not recalling exactly what happened, which meant that if Cinder truly did read her facial expressions, there was nothing for Ruby to fear.

That's not true. There's everything for me to fear. Failure, capture, torture…lots of -ure's.

At last, Cinder let out a sigh. "You truly forgot?"

"My head hurts a lot…not a headache, but more like I physically took a hit."

"I suppose it follows that your first time would be rough."

Ruby suddenly became aware that she was lying down in Cinder's bed. "F-F-First?"

"First time using your…never mind. It's best you don't think about that. For now, let's say that you upset Salem, and we fled the room to allow her to work out some of her…emotions. Anyways, we're now one day behind on our training. Would you be up for some more?"

Ruby nodded. "As long as you don't hit me in my face."

"I'll try to restrain myself," Cinder said. "Though I can't promise I won't assault your face in other ways." She pulled Ruby closer to herself and stroked her hair. Ruby played along.

She really doesn't think much of me, does she? She mentioned silver eyes, which I know are important, as being something I used. Salem's only after me because I'm supposed to be Ozpin's favorite student, and my eye color was what tipped them all off. Does she just think I forgot or ignored that?

…Ozpin's favorite…

Ruby kept kissing Cinder.

Salem wants to use me to bring down Ozpin and the academies because it will be painful to him to see the chosen prodigy who he accepted to Beacon early be bad and do crime. I bought that, because in my mind, I'm Ozpin's spy. He gave me the mission, revealed to me the truth of the maidens and relics, and even trusted me enough to take his life so as to gain his enemies' trust. That makes me his underling, the one he chose…except Salem doesn't know any of that!

"Let's head to the training room," Cinder said, breaking their kiss. Ruby nodded with a sweet smile and desperately strove to keep the frantic train of thoughts she was having from showing any signs on her face.

To Salem, I'm just a kid Ozpin met in a police station once and offered a scholarship to. That's nice and all, but that's not a reason to suddenly select me to become her maiden host instead of Cinder, who's got years of training on me and is twice as loyal.

"I guess Salem trusts us enough to not have Tyrian or the doggo watch after us," Ruby japed playfully. She probably sounded like she was ranting crazily.

"Believe me, you do not want Tyrian watching you," Cinder bantered back. "Ever."

Why does Salem think I mean something to Ozpin? Is it because of Uncle Qrow, who used to work for him? Dad was on Qrow's team, and so was mom – was it them? Or…

Ruby shifted Crescent into a war scythe and entered a fighting stance. "I'm ready when you are."

Salem said she wants to corrupt me. What if…What if she knows? Everything? What if she's already aware that I'm here with ulterior motives, but she thinks she can still make me turn evil? What if turning the double agent into a triple agent is the thing she's got planned?

Cinder's arrow nearly caught her on the neck. She was getting too distracted.

"Remember what I told you, Ruby. Don't take a hit when you can block, don't block when you can dodge, don't dodge when you can turn an attack around and go on the offensive."

"Got it!"

Well, if that's what she believes, she's wrong. I won't ever be loyal to Salem. I'm a superhero, and this is all just my origin story.

They broke from their sparring when Crescent's magazine ran empty, but Ruby continued on training solo. According to Cinder, Salem was expecting a progress report on Ruby's efforts to improve her combat abilities.

There was no doubt in Ruby's mind that she would be receiving a glowing recommendation that said she was more powerful than the God of Darkness himself, given that Cinder's own butt was on the line here as the teacher of their lessons. Still, it wasn't like Ruby was going to contradict Cinder, and she certainly had been improving quite a bit.

"If it goes well, and Salem is satisfied with your growth, you may be sent out on assignments, like the others are right now."

"Maiden missions?"

Cinder shook her head. "No. For one thing, we've no clue where the maidens are, save for Fall, and our enemies seem to have augmented security around her following Branwen's death."

"Oh. S-Sorry."

"It's fine," Cinder breathed. Ruby didn't think it was, but she'd rather let Cinder ignore the issue than force an argument. "There are never any guarantees in this organization, and an advantage one day can be a detriment the next."

Ruby nodded.

Cinder walked over to her and placed an arm on Ruby's shoulder. "I am not deceiving you here. I never thought I'd say it, but it was for the best I didn't launch my intended assault. If I seized the powers of the Fall Maiden before you joined us, I'd most likely have died when Salem chose you as the host in my place. She'd have killed me, or had you do it with your new Scarab."

"I-I-I'd never…Cinder, I wouldn't –"

"I know," she said. "I saw how you reacted to Tyrian when you thought him an innocent. But at this point, my position has changed. Having the maiden powers would make me a target rather than a goddess. Now, as I was saying, you won't be out hunting maidens for a long while, for multiple reasons. Though I will praise you to Salem, you won't be sent to fight those with a quarter of Ozpin's magic until you've been tried and tested in the field many times. You're Salem's VIP now, and she won't risk you until she's sure. Besides, even if we found a maiden, we would need to surveil them for days, perhaps even weeks, to comprehend their security detail better."

That all sounded good to Ruby. She'd been briefly worried when Cinder had said she wouldn't be out hunting maidens, but the reasons were all logical. That stuff she'd been thinking, about Salem knowing what she was really after, it had really been getting to her.

"Practice your forms while I'm gone. Demonstrate to me the combo I taught you three days ago."

Ruby nodded and stepped back. Unfurling Crescent Rose, she got into position as Cinder watched intently.

The combo move went perfectly. Ruby got all three swings of her weapon int just like she'd been taught.

"No, no, no…not like that."

"What?" exclaimed Ruby. "But I did everything you said."

Cinder shook her head. "You followed the motions precisely, and it's clear you've been practicing it. But your intent is lacking."

"Intent?" Ruby asked.

Stepping alongside Ruby, Cinder drew Midnight and did the exact same motions, but all slightly faster. It didn't look all that more intent than Ruby's own rendition of the attack.

"You do the first stab while preparing for the second, and the second while anticipating the third. As such, you hold back, as though you expect only the final movement to matter. All three are immensely important. Each movement of your blade is intended to be independent, a vicious attack of its own. The first strike knocks past an opponent's defenses and ensures they are off their guard. The second breaks their aura. The third pierces their chest to kill them."

Ruby took the advice into account and tried again, swinging harder every time, but Salem stopped her before she even got the second swing in.

"You have the motion, but you need to practice on something other than empty air."

"Something?" Ruby didn't like the sound of that, giving that Cinder by her own admission was teaching her how to kill people. "What something?"

"We have Grimm aplenty. I'll have an Apathy remain still so you can practice on it. Their form is close enough to that of a human for the points of contact to be translatable. Actually, I'll get many. Grimm are plentiful in Evernight."

"But…"

Cinder shook her head. "Rose, you need to be perfect at this. I've used this same maneuver for every final blow on every huntsman or huntress I've killed. It works, and adding it to your repertoire will make you a force to be reckoned with."

Ruby looked down at Crescent Rose. "Still, I just…is it really necessary?"

"Just practice it," Cinder said. "No one is asking you to use it on anything but Grimm. Look, once you've proven yourself to Salem, she'll send you out into the field, and you'll be free to conduct yourself as you see fit. Use it, don't use it – it matters not. Just know it, or you'll wish you did when an opponent disembowels you."

Ozpin said I'm going to need to do horrible things to gain their trust…

"Okay. I guess it's not so bad, just practicing it on Grimm."

Cinder nodded with a smile. "Attagirl." She stepped out into the hallway and halted a Seer as it floated by. "Send some Apathy to this chamber, and ensure they do not wail." She winked at Ruby. "We don't need our prodigy falling asleep on the job."

When Cinder had gone off to see Salem, Ruby was only alone in the room for about a minute before these creepy looking Grimm people filtered into the room. They didn't walk, since none of them had legs (or faces), but instead they sort of glided over the ground.

It didn't take much for Ruby to start to want to kill them. For one thing, they were Grimm, which she'd spent her entire life bringing down. For another, these were particularly gross ones. Their heads were just the upper half of human skulls, and the way they looked at her was just…empty. There was nothing alive about them.

But…

It's not bad. I can learn how to use a killing technique without actually having to kill anyone. I'll just hold back when the time comes. Cinder said that the first two hits would disarm and break aura, so I'll only do them.

There's no need to kill anyone – not even the maidens, actually. I can steal her powers with the Scarab and let her live. No one needs to die.

The first Apathy Grimm stepped up to the plate, flailing its clawed hands to simulate an attack, and Ruby swung her scythe three times, the last of which pierce its chest in a poof of black smoke.

No more Apathy.

The next Apathy came forth.

There had been 150 Grimm on hand for Ruby to practice her form on. By the end of the night, when Cinder had returned to check up on Ruby's progress, she performed the three-hit combo move as naturally as walking. No, as naturally as breathing.

Cinder had been most pleased with what she saw.

Apparently, Cinder's praise hadn't been enough to sway the queen, though. Ruby had needed to train for another week with Cinder, and then another week alone after that when Cinder left for Mistral.

Their fake relationship had not progressed very far during the time they spent together. Both women were pretending for the other's sake that they meant something to one another, but Ruby would describe Cinder as nothing more than an acquaintance or a mild friend at best. Cinder seemed to think that declaring herself Ruby's lover had been enough to endear Ruby to her without putting any effort into spending time together outside of training or tutelage. Fortunately for Ruby, she didn't really like Cinder that way, so it was all for the best. Truth be told, she didn't really like girls that way either. She didn't actually think she liked anyone that way either.

When Cinder had told Ruby that she was leaving for Haven to resume her initial plan to bring down Beacon, Ruby had felt a mixture of relief and regret. On one hand, it was good to finally be free of her obligation to playact in their romance of convenience. On the other, that meant that Ruby was alone in the castle with no one but Salem and the doggo. Ruby didn't want to smooch Cinder, but she did want to not be alone.

Training solo was mostly just practicing the routines Cinder had given her before leaving and attempting to perfect her mastery of them. Ruby's accuracy improved the more she shot with Crescent, and her control of her aura had improved using Cinder's exercises. They were far more brutal than the stuff they taught at Signal: there was no way Dad would ask someone to dip their hand in oil, ignite it, and hold their aura until the fuel expired, but there was also no denying that Ruby's motivation to avoid the pain had been a key factor in learning how to thin out her aura just enough and make it last longer. That had always been an issue of hers – she'd tended to be an all-or-nothing gal – but with it out of the way, she was making progress towards being able to devote just enough targeted aura to block a single attack. That meant she would last longer in a fight, and stamina had always been a weak point of hers.

It was undoubtable: Ruby was getting better. Cinder had been devoting entire days to just getting Ruby up to snuff, and the best she'd gotten at Signal was 10 minute spars with far weaker opponents, followed by Qrow handing off a few pointers before moving on to the next kid. She wasn't saying that the way combat schools did things were wrong, but having a private tutor was definitely a lot more fun. Of course, Ruby understood basic concepts like supply and demand and understood that not every could have one, but that didn't stop her from enjoying the huntress training she'd received in her time at Evernight.

All things came to an end, though, and so did Ruby's tranquil days of practicing her new skills.

"You and Tyrian are going to be dispatched to Vacuo for a specific task involving my hound. From there, you shall travel across Sanus towards Vale, at which point further instructions will be delivered by Cinder."

Ruby raised a hand.

"Rose, you need not…" Salem shook her head. "Just speak your question, child."

"I thought Cinder was in Mistral."

"She is masquerading as a student of Haven attending Beacon for the Vytal Festival as a temporary transfer. Her assignment is her own; there is no need for you to know it."

"Okay. Thank you, ma'am."

Ruby's hand lowered, and Salem sighed discontentedly.

"你应该称呼我们的女王，而不是女士." Tyrian whispered, elbowing Ruby in the stomach.

"Oh, that's truly not necessary," said Salem, composing herself. "Miss Rose's…unique ways of referring to me are acceptable."

Tyrian just said random stuff, and she understood it? But what did it mean? It must've been somehow related to me calling her ma'am, given the context and Salem's response, but was he chiding me or offering me advice? I couldn't tell!

"Hunt," said the hound.

All three turned to look at it.

"W-What's our mission?" Ruby asked abruptly. "I-If we aren't supposed to know Cinder's, what are Tyrian and me gonna do in Vacuo? Assuming that it's okay for us to know, ma'am…er, Lady Salem."

"接近了，但还是没有烟草。你是个失败者，应该感到羞耻。"

Tyrian smiled, so Ruby did too. She must've gotten the appellation right.

"Your mission is to test the hound's ability to follow orders," said Salem. "It has been given specific instructions that must be followed, and I only wish for you to observe how precisely they are completed. The orders are intentionally complicated, so as to provide my Grimm with many opportunities for failure, allowing me to diagnose which aspects of its sentience must be improved upon."

"Sounds easy enough," said Ruby. It was a nice and simple first mission, and she wouldn't even have to do anything bad. Testing out a brand new doggo for how good its obedience was – that kinda sounded fun, when she thought about it.

"This is not an insult or reflection of your combat ability, Miss Rose," Salem said, misinterpreting the comment. "I would've had Hazel complete it if he were the only member of my ranks present. In time, we shall complete your training and find you tasks appropriate to your skill level as it increases, but for now, this must be done. I would send Tyrian, but…the nature of the hounds' commands might distract him."

The Faunus nodded sullenly. "众所周知，我的注意力持续时间很短."

"So, what're we gonna watch the doggo do?" asked Ruby.

"There is an irrelevant village in Vacuo called Ovais. It is suitable isolated and typically receives fewer than ten visitors per year," Salem explained. "The hound has been instructed to kill anyone there, sparing only those with blue eyes or red hair but not both. Report back to me on its success via a Seer that has been sent to Ovais in advance when the destruction is completed."

"Oh," Ruby said dumbly. "Simple as pie."

"Quite so," said Salem, nodding.

Ruby stood up, and Tyrian took her by the hand to direct her to the airship docks. Salem waved a goodbye as they left.

"Good luck on your first mission, Ruby. I'm sure you'll do well."

Coming Soon – Ruby's First Mission

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #889 – No soap in the public restroom's dispenser for your dirty unwashed potty hands? Throw up on them. Human stomach acids kill 90% of all bacteria and 70% of all viruses.

Ruby's Tip #604 – The most expensive storebought present can never compare to a simple card.

Ruby's Note – Sorry, I misspoke. A simple gift card is what I meant to say.

Ruby's Tip #487 – Out of straws? Make one yourself by poking the core of a spaghetti out with a smaller, thinner spaghetti.

Ruby's Notes – This also works for apples and some types of rye-bread sandwiches.

Chapter Text

Ruby was going to have to kill people.

That was the only thing going through her head as she and Tyrian boarded the airship and set a course for Ovais. Nothing else could even be comprehended.

Not the excuse that she wasn't going to be the hand that ended the lives. Not the excuse that this would've happened with Tyrian supervising it alone had she not been involved. Certainly not the knowledge that a random group of the citizens of that poor, poor town were going to be spared.

If she got to that village and watched the people get massacred by the hound and did nothing but take notes for the monster who'd dispatched it, it would be no different than if she'd shot them all with Crescent.

There was always the slim possibility that something would go wrong – the hound would fail to follow its instructions, the village's resistance would be enough to repel it without massive casualties – but Ruby knew that she was grasping there. In all likelihood, she was going to have to watch a slaughter.

Except why?! I can stop this!

Sure, Ozpin gave his life to buy me his cover, but it's not like that means I have to go through with it. After all, Ozpin will be dead whether or not I chose to spare the townsfolk.

"Você pode ver o continente de Vacuo," said Tyrian.

Ruby didn't know what he was saying, but she recognized the name at the end, and looking out the window revealed the upcoming landmass.

"We're here?" Ruby asked. "So soon?"

"Não exatamente. Os Grimmlands são os mais próximos de Vacuo, é verdade, mas a cidade que procuramos fica no interior."

"What?"

Tyrian pointed out to the horizon. "Ovais fica no interior."

"The town…oh, I guess just because we're at the coast, that doesn't mean we're ready to land yet, are we."

He nodded with a snort. "As crianças nos dias de hoje."

Ruby looked at the beaches of Vacuo out the window, then out the rear viewport as they passed over them. She'd never been to this part of Sanus before, even though it was the same landmass she'd spent most of her life on.

Well, if you count Patch as a part of it. It's technically not since it's an island, but no one in their right mind would count Patch among Sanus, Solitas, and Anima.

And the Grimmlands, I guess. If it's my new home, I oughta count it as a continent.

The doggo was in the vessel with them, but it had yet to say anything other than repeating 'hunt' endlessly whenever she looked its way. It was pretty eerie, but then so was Ruby's new master and Ruby's new girlfriend.

"Acorde-me quando chegarmos lá," said Tyrian. He reclined in his pilot's seat and closed his eyes. After a brief stretch, he began to softly snore.

"W-What?"

There were no context clues for Ruby to interpret the meaning this time. Had he wanted her to take over the controls? Had he been giving some sort of important update that would be critical to their mission? Or was he just saying something random?

I don't actually know if he's saying gobbledygook, or if it's just languages I don't know and it all has meaning. Oh, what if it's gobbledygook in other languages?

With no other options, Ruby just decided to wait until their navigation systems told them they were getting closer and to wake Tyrian then. He was the senior operative on this mission, so she figured doing anything else would be overstepping.

The three of them landed tens of miles off of the town of Ovais to avoid being seen on the horizon. If everything went well, she and Tyrian would enter into the town disguised as native Vacuoans without attracting much attention, the doggo would attack, and they would watch the carnage unfold. The red-eyed or blue-haired survivors would never suspect they'd had a hand in the destruction, and the secret of Salem would be preserved. Salem had chosen a place so far off the grid for that very reason.

But when I describe that as everything going well, it's not really true.

Their party had a few hours of hiking through sand dunes ahead of them, meaning that if she intended to plan her way out of this one, it would have to be soon.

Ruby had gotten tired of walking after a quiet five minutes (she was a sprinter, not a marathon-er) and asked Tyrian if she could ride the doggo the rest of the way there, breaking their silence. He'd been ecstatic about that, going off in some incomprehensible rant that involved the word Grimm very often as well as her name. She didn't know if that was an approval of her request, but she figured that he okayed it when he picked her up by her armpits and plopped her down on the back of the hound.

"Ela finalmente está entrando em contato com sua monstruosidade interior." He wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Ruby as his bottom lip wavered. "Eu me sinto como um tio orgulhoso."

A pat on the head was the last thing she got from him before he resumed his silent trekking.

The doggo itself didn't seem to even notice her presence aboard its back at first. The added weight of one tiny huntress probably didn't phase it much. When Ruby gripped hold of its fur at one point to keep herself from falling off, she briefly worried it would respond poorly, but in the end, it just kept treading on.

After about a half hour of nothing but Ruby's tense breathing and the hounds even panting, she decided to see if she could interact with it.

"W-Who's a good boy?"

The doggo had no response.

"A good girl?"

Nothing.

"A good Grimm?"

"Hunt."

She tentatively gave it a pat. "That's a good doggo. So, um…do you, like, take orders from me?"

"Hunt."

"You're giving me a piggyback ride – er, a Grimmyback ride. Is it because you can't be bothered to shake me off, or because you secretly enjoy my company?"

"Huuuuuunt."

Ruby petted the doggo on the head. "Well, you do you, but if I were a Grimm doggo, I'd probably rather spend time playing fetch rather than eating villages whole. I mean, Nevermore fly, Leviathans swim – Grimm may be monstrous, but they all share some behaviors with the animals they come from. There's got to be some doggo in you. You're loyal to Salem, and you were a guard dog for me for a while…"

Ruby leaned forward, wrapping her arms around its back to steady herself so she could get closer to it. "I…I have a Grimm in my arm. A beetley guy. Do you recognize it?"

In hopes that it might sense its kin, she pressed her arm closer to its hide.

"Was he a friend of yours?"

Ruby's arm started to tingle, and then her hand felt all weird. It wasn't a hurting weird or the kind of weird you get when you don't move your arm for a while and the blood flow stops; this was more like a massage chair weird, but on her arm instead of her back. She had no clue what was causing the sensation; all she had done was think about the beetle.

A red light started to shoot out of her arm, alternating between two quick pulses and a much longer one. Then, without warning, the Scarab shot out of the palm of her hand.

Ruby would've screamed, but her tolerance for unexpected and outright bizarre shiz had grown over the past few days, so she managed to hold her tongue. The beetle didn't do anything malicious; in fact, it didn't really do anything at all. At one point, it tilted its head backwards to look Ruby in the face, but that was it.

"H-Hey, buddy," Ruby eked out nervously. She had no clue if the beetle was sentient, a regular Grimm, or a part of her with all her memories. "How 'bout'cha go back in? That way, you, uh, don't get heatstroke from the sun."

The beetle retreetled into her arm. Er, retreated.

Ruby looked down at the hound to gauge its reaction to that scene.

"Ugh, still nothing?!"

She and Tyrian ditched the hound when they caught sight of some smoke in the distance, which Tyrian said meant they were close enough to the village. Well, he didn't say that, but Ruby had a feeling that "Quero colocar isso no meu salmão." meant "We're close to the village."

Ovais was a quaint little town. She'd been expecting sand streets and clay buildings, given that there didn't seem to be any resources for miles, but the town itself was the absence of materials. It had been excavated out of the bedrock of the ground, so the empty spaces were just the parts that had been carved clean.

She and Tyrian kept their cloaks wrapped around their faces tightly and generally avoided any people that came near them. It might've seemed awfully suspicious to any townsfolk, but Ruby had a feeling they would have more pressing concerns shortly.

Ruby hadn't been able to think of any ways to sneakily outsmart Salem's forces and save the village. If something went wrong, it would be fairly obvious that she was the cause of it as Salem's newest and least trusted agent. There might be an option of blaming the failure on the doggo itself, but there was no confirmation that Salem didn't have other ways of keeping track of them.

Ruby had warred with her own mind over what was the right thing to do for the entire trip over. If Salem had some way to keep watch over her doggo, she wouldn't have needed to send them…except, what if the whole thing was a ruse? What if it was all a test of Ruby's loyalty? The only way to be sure was to go through with it.

Ozpin had warned her of this. He'd told her that she would have to do horrible things (or in this case, let horrible things happen to others), and she'd thought having to kill him was the extent of that, but this feeling was far worse. These people of Ovais, they would never get to come back.

Ruby would never get to come back from this.

Zwei was a doggo. He borked, and he yapped, and he was the goodest good boi.

The Grimm that Ruby had ridden into Ovais?

That was no doggo.

The screaming began when night fell, and Ruby had to wonder if it was extreme tactical intelligence, an awareness of how to utilize human compassion against them, or just sheer luck that it did. When people let out quick cries of pain, often little more than desperate yelps at the stars for someone to rescue them, others often did. This was a small settlement, meaning that the tight knit family-like community rushed to its own aid. Within seconds, all of the townsfolk were congregated in one single place, around a cluster of dead bodies.

At least it gave Ruby and Tyrian a convenient excuse to come running and watch the impending carnage.

The Grimm had made its first few kills in the middle of the street, so when people crowded around the bodies and began to scream, no one was looking behind them. Just as the leaders began to take charge, it pounced from the rooftop on which it had perched itself and began to ravage the humans.

It was an absulute bloodbath.

Had Ruby thought up some plan, she would have been entirely unable to execute it, for her body simply shut down. She'd never seen so much death in one place before, not even in the censored pictures her old teacher had once shown of Mountain Glenn. The Grimm had scarcely finished slaying one of its victims when its ears perked up at the horrified yells of another, and before they were even dead it was on a third. People began to run away from the scene, but the Grimm hound pursued.

That was what it was. A hound. A beast bred to kill that was set by an uncaring hunter upon a defenseless flock of chickens or cornered fox. Never had a name been so apt.

"Ainda não encontrou nenhuma das cores escolhidas," Tyrian whispered, but Ruby wouldn't have understood it if it were the King's English. Her brain was going into shock.

She'd…She'd petted the hound. She'd thought that maybe if it could encounter some affection, some human kindness, it might soak into the poor guy and convince it not to go through with its brutish mission. As she watched it tear the throat out of a screaming child, Ruby couldn't even move. The hound didn't target her, but if it had, she would've made easy pickings.

Some of the people who'd run actually made it away, but then the vile thing that was wearing the guise of a dog reared up on two fear and leapt like a hare through the air. Its bones crunched and cracked as it hopped from rooftop to rooftop with the agility of a being half its size, outmaneuvering the fleeing humans and catching up to them in no time.

A slash cut one of them in half, but the hound halted when it looked upon a red-haired woman who'd fallen to her knees. At its hesitance, words of begging poured from her lips, and for once, the creature showed mercy. It fell back down to all fours, turned away from her, and prowled off in the direction of another victim of its senseless slaughter.

But before it left…

"Hunt."

Tyrian groaned exasperatedly next to Ruby. The two of them were surrounded by a sea of corpses, and any survivors must've thought it quite odd that the pair hadn't moved from their original spots. To be fair, there really weren't many survivors.

"Ele falou," Tyrian said to Ruby.

"W-What?" she asked.

"Grimm não fala. Eles fazem sons de feras." He growled and made a guttural roaring noise. "Mas não são palavras."

Ruby didn't make the connection until Tyrian had already shot out towards the red-haired woman and murdered the only witness.

It talked.

Grimm don't talk.

Tyrian didn't stop at the first victim, and neither did the hound. While the latter completed its mission to the letter, the former left no survivors. All red heads of hair and blue eyes were untouched by tooth or claw, but a scorpion tail quickly ensured that they would not be reporting back the existence of a speaking Grimm to the authorities. In a single night, an entire settlement was destroyed.

When they were dead, Tyrian clicked open a pair of claw-like weapons that adhered to his wrists and began to stab them into one of the dead bodies with an orgasmic look on his face, and that was the point that Ruby had to turn away. She didn't know which direction she ran, but it was away from the monstrous beasts that would surely plague her dreams for the next few weeks, so it might've been Ruby's all time favorite direction for the foreseeable future.

She collapsed to the ground and let out a sickened gasp for air when the village was about two hundred feet away. The sand was cold to the touch on her knees and elbows, but her body felt hot. Everything was warm, and the blood that was coursing through her arms and legs felt like it was about to overheat.

"Ruby?" said a voice.

Ruby just steadied her breathing, ignoring it entirely. It sounded like Salem, but it couldn't have been her.

"Please turn around," said the voice. "The Seers have such awfully small fields of view, and I wish to speak to your face, not your…posterior."

Seer…oh, it really was her.

Ruby didn't have the physical strength to turn around, though. It felt like watching the massacre had sapped all of the energy from her body, even though she hadn't actually done anything.

In the end, the Seer floated its way around the downed huntress, where Ruby got a good look at it. She could see Salem's face in the ball portion of it, like a video coming out of a screen.

"M-My queen," Ruby managed to get out. "The…The…"

"Are you hurt?"

"Hurt? What? N-No, I just…Tyrian…"

Salem rolled her eyes. "I just knew he would do something. That's why I sent you. I take it the mission was more stressful than anticipated."

"It killed everyone!" Ruby gasped, struggling for breath.

"Did it? Such a shame…I had such high hopes for my hound. Well, I suppose it's for the best. The template on which such things are made can be hard to come by, what with you being the very last I've seen in years."

Salem turned away in the Seer as Ruby wiped the snot from her nose and the tears from her cheeks. It was disgusting, but Ruby couldn't find it in herself to have any disgust left to spare.

Ruby had no idea what Salem was going on about, but as her sense returned to her, she realized that she'd erred. Tyrian might not make sense, but Salem could understand her, and he would correct Ruby's inaccurate report eventually. She hadn't meant to lie about the hound's actions, but everything had just been so revolting to look at, so offensive to Ruby's sense of sight, that she hadn't been able to clearly enunciate the words in her mind. Tyrian had killed the spared survivors, but Ruby hadn't been able to say more than a handful of words.

"N-No, Lady Salem. I misspoke. The hound…ghhhkkkk…didn't kill everyone. Everyone is dead, that's what I…"

"What you meant?"

Ruby nodded.

"How did those I requested to let live end up dying?"

"T-Tyrian…"

That yielded another roll of her eyes, and Ruby had to tear her face away from the Seer to avoid scowling directly into it. Those people had been murdered by a maniac, and Salem's best reaction was mild distaste at the man responsible? Like it was a minor inconvenience, something that didn't matter more than a raised eyebrow?! That…That…That bitch!

"Well done, Ruby. Your presence here was invaluable. For your next mission, I –"

"Mmmmm," Ruby interrupted, gasping unsteadily. "Not now. I can't. I'm sorry…I just need a few minutes."

"Of course."

No sooner than the last syllable had been uttered did the Seer turn back to solid black. Knowing that it could see her, Ruby didn't trust herself to lower her guard around it and did her best to keep a straight face.

I have to do this. If I had stopped that hound, I might've saved those people, but Salem would've just made more. She just said she could. It sounded difficult, but difficult still means possible. I can't let my emotions get in the way. I'm a huntress, and that means I save lives. The most lives possible.

"ROSE?" called out Tyrian "Onde você está?"

"I'm over here," she said back. The words made no sense, but it was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was asking where she'd run off to when he was busy with…hrrrrkk…the bodies.

Within seconds, Tyrian was climbing out of the carved-out pit of a city and rejoining her. His eyes caught the Seer, but Ruby was quick to wave it off.

"I talked to Salem. Told her what happened." She looked around quickly for their other companion, more a token effort than any real attempt to find him. "Where's the dog?"

Tyrian pointed to the beast as it scrambled up a sheer wall on the side of a building by digging its claws into the side like hooks. When it reached the top of the building, it rose to its feet once more and did the ungainly hopping from the rooftops over to them.

Tyrian looked at the hound, then back at Ruby. "Voc–"

"I don't wanna ride it. Get it away from me."

"Como você comanda, jovem Rose."

He made his way to the Grimm and stood between it and Ruby. While it might not have sent the dog away, the symbolic barrier was appreciated.

No. He's a killer, too. These people aren't my friends. Once I'm the maiden, I oughta come back and burn Evernight to the ground with all of them in it.

Ruby gathered herself and stood up. Brushing off as much of the sand that was on her arms and knees as she could, she took a minute to run her hands along Crescent Rose. After it had beheaded Ozpin, Ruby had tried not to take comfort for its familiar presence at her back, but right now she needed all the comfort that she could get.

She tapped the top of the Seer. "My queen? You in there?"

The image of Salem appeared once more. Tyrian fell to his knees and began to spout out what sounded like somewhere between a prayer and a toddler describing the cool stick he found in the yard to a parent.

Ruby stood to her full height. "We're ready for your orders."

Coming Soon – Ruby's Revelation

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #506 – Leave an emergency spork at your office. If you ever forget a spoon, you can just snap off the spork's tines and use it as a spoon. If you ever need a fork, you can sell it and use the funds to buy a fork (their prices are similar).

Chapter Text

"I spy with my little eye…something yellow…and grainy…"

"Тишина."

"Good!" Ruby said, assuming Tyrian had said sand. There was nothing else around them for miles that he could guess otherwise, so it probably was. "Now it's your turn."

"Ако продолжиш да ми го одвлекуваш вниманието, ќе го урнам авионот."

"Is it sand?" Ruby asked.

"бр."

"Boom, nuthin' but net," Ruby cried victoriously.

She and Tyrian had been spending the hours together in silence when the boredom had gotten to her. Disapprove though she may of the way he manufactured a grisly scene in Ovais, she needed to keep up her rapport with the other minions if this was going to work. Plus, she was about to pass out from lack of mental stimulation if she didn't do something. Having hours to spend in silence did wonders for working through the visceral disgust of what had happened last night.

Salem's next mission was an easier one – and Ruby meant it this time. She was given clear instructions of what her goal was, and the steps necessary to get there. Apparently, Salem had some sort of business arrangement with the White Fang (terrorists and magical anarchists working together – the math tracked), and the Vale branch needed more recruits. Thus, when a rally happened in Vale, Ruby was supposed to pretend to be a racist human and rile them up. She was to go in, shout a few slurs, and tell them to go back to Menagerie; you know the drill. Tyrian was going to be among the attending Faunus, and he would play off of her bit to inflame the other Faunus even more. The more the Faunus attending believed that they were hated by humans, the more likely they were to run into the White Fang's open arms, thus furthering Salem's goals and expanding her armies.

It wasn't pleasant for someone who didn't want to be rude to innocent Faunus, but the bar had been set by her first mission, and it was going to be pretty difficult for anything to reach that high up for a while. As long as no one lost their life, Ruby would call it a win in her book.

They were on track to get to Vale before the rally, which took place tomorrow, but the unpleasant reality of having to fly between the kingdoms for missions was that she had a lot of downtime in airships. Her scroll had gone down to 25% battery after playing games on it for the first leg of the flight, at which point she'd decided to stow it just in case she needed it for something important. Salem's preferred method of communication was Seer, but Cinder was supposed to meet them in Vale after the rally, and Ruby didn't expect her to have a spherical ball of Grimm in her back pocket. Until then, she would have to entertain herself with the staple that oh so many kids on long airship rides before her had used to fill the time and occupy their minds with.

Ruby peeked out the window of the airship into the broad blue expanse of the sky. "I spy with my little eye, something that's white and fluffy and kind of cloudy…"

"Дали е опиум?"

"That's right – it's a cloud!"

She hadn't expected to be home this quickly. It hadn't even been a full month since the term had started at Beacon, meaning that Ruby was back in the city before Yang had even taken her first midterm. The sight of the academy that held her sister was a beckoning one…a beaconing one, but Ruby resisted the urge to run for the hills that held it.

Even if I did make it before Tyrian intercepted me, it's not like there would be anyone there to welcome me. Miss Goodwitch would be upset that I bailed on my mission when things have been progressing so well, and without her, I can't clear my name and make things better. I'm going to have to accept being on the run until I'm the Spring Maiden.

O-Or I bring her home, because, like, the goal isn't to kill her. It's to find her and bring her with me and only kill her if absolutely necessary.

At Salem's advice, Ruby had washed the dye out of her hair to avoid the distinctive feature that the police would be looking for. She was still on the Top 10 list of criminals for murdering Ozpin and Qrow, even though neither of those were really murders, just as Goodwitch had described. As a high-profile huntress herself, Miss Goodwitch might've been able to run interference and keep Ruby's name off of the police radar, but that kind of negative attention was what she wanted. The more notorious she was, the more accepting Salem's lot would be.

The rally would happen at night, and it was around noon when they landed in the same smoky industrial districts where Ruby had left. Tyrian was out in the city locating the location of the demonstration (apparently, only Faunus were able to find the secret hidden messages that advertised the place), so Ruby had a full day to herself to skulk around Vale. Salem had instructed her to avoid any places that might recognize her or ask for ID, meaning that mainstream ammunition shops and local libraries were out of the question.

Still, Crescent was nearly running on empty (Ruby had run out while doing more practice of her forms in Vacuo while Tyrian had been debriefed by the Seer), so Ruby needed to come by some replacement Dust. With the big, name-brand shops out of the question, that limited her options a lot. It wasn't hard to locate one of the city's many grimy shops that sold 'under the table' Dust, but Ruby didn't trust the quality of any possibly counterfeit goods.

Hmmmm…I know shoplifting is wrong, but I'm already technically a criminal, so it's not like stealing some would make me any worse. Ethically it's no good, but I've done worse things to blend in, and the guys back home all expect me to be some anarchist who wants to bring down the academies. I need the Dust, and if I can show Salem that I'm willing to ignore the laws when it suits me, it would actually probably be better.

But I'm not a professional thief, though. If I tried to steal, I run the risk of getting caught. The city's supposed to be on high alert due to the Dust shortage, so the police will be all looking…

Wait a sec – I'm such an idiot. I'm on the same side as the world's worst Dust thief. I can just go to Cinder and have Torchwick steal some extra Dust for me.

Ruby didn't like Roman Torchwick, per se, but she did respect the way he did his thing. The epic multi-purpose weapon, the flawless style, the practiced one-liners that rolled off his tongue – if he weren't evil, he might've been a really great huntsman. She'd thought very lowly of him when they'd fought, but in hindsight, he was far from the worst evil that stalked Remnant. He didn't even make the Top Five.

Ruby remembered where Cinder's apartment was from the last time she'd visited, and she knew her way around Vale's streets like the back of her hand. It took longer than usual to move around, mainly because Ruby had to constantly look over her shoulder and ensure that she wasn't being tailed by any undercover police officers or something, but she was a fairly normal looking kid when Crescent was stowed and her clothes weren't the flashy dress and corset, so no one paid her any mind.

I wonder how Torchwick goes about his daily life. When he's not actively committing crimes, does he go to the laundromat while flaunting his weaponized cane and wearing the mascara and bowling ball hat? Would he shop at a grocery store in the same city where he's the most wanted man? Maybe I should ask him for some tips on low profile stuff.

The apartment was right where Ruby had last seen it. She supposed that made sense; unless it had randomly sprouted legs and walked off of its own volition, it was unlikely that it would be somewhere else. Ruby giggled at the silly thought of it as she knocked.

It'll be good to see Emerald again. I liked her. Mercury, not as much, but you take the good with the bad.

Oh, and my girlfriend too, I guess.

The door opened…but Ruby hadn't laid a finger on it.

Ruby and Roman Torchwick stared at one another.

"Y-Y-You?" stammered Ruby. "Why are you here?"

A cane nearly broke her kneecaps in response. Ruby just barely managed to step out of the range of the dangerous blow when Roman followed up with a prod to the stomach.

"Woah, stop! I'm on your side now, remember? I was kicked out of Beacon and now I'm with Cinder!"

"How do you know about Cinder?" Roman screeched, drawing back for another attack. He faltered for a second, giving Ruby a chance to shove him into the apartment and close the door behind her. The great outdoors was too public for them to be bandying names of important people like that.

"I work for Cinder! You smuggled me out of Vale!"

"I…oh, yeah, guess I did." He rose to his feet. "What the hell're you doin' in my place?"

"Your place? This belongs to Cinder."

Torchwick snorted. "Not really. She just showed up one day, said what mine was hers, and took the keys. I couldn't steal them back, so I had no choice but to find other accommodations."

"Where is she?" asked Ruby.

Torchwick raised an eyebrow. "You…don't know?"

"I came here to find her. Well, I actually was looking for you, but…"

Torchwick grinned evilly, and Ruby's defenses rose. He wasn't smiling at Ruby, but grinning at her like he knew something she didn't. Crescent was out and readied before either of them could blink.

"Now, now, Red, there's no need for that kinda thing. I don't have many houseplants, so you can stow the gardening tool." Roman tapped his cane against the ground. "And, I hate to be the one to tell you, but Cinder's up in Beacon now, and that where she's going to be stayin' for the immediate foreseeable future."

He gestured to a window that had a tiny sliver of a view of the school off in the distance.

"So far away. Too far to protect you."

He lifted up his cane to take a shot at her, but Ruby dashed forward using her semblance to get too close for him to aim. They were indoors in a tightly enclosed space, meaning that unless he could guarantee a direct hit on Ruby, it was too risky to fire off explosive rounds. Of course, Ruby herself was equally limited – most neighbors tended to call the police when high velocity sniper rounds started coming from next door.

Roman was probably the more skilled of the two individually, and he also had the home-field advantage. As Ruby tried to block the blows that he rained down on her form his cane, she found that the close walls of the structure were getting in the way.

"I always did call it an oversized rake," bantered Torchwick as he swept Ruby off her feet and landed a solid kick to her stomach. "Usually it's the second part that's the kicker, but the first can be just as bad."

He…He insulted my…!

"Eat a dick!" screamed Ruby, slashing down.

Torchwick paused at bladelock, as did Ruby. Her face began to redden as the full realization of her exclamation came to her.

Oh my goodness, I…I would never curse or use bad words!

Except she could, and she had before. To make an impression on Mercury and Emerald, when she got truly angry at Salem, if her buttons got pushed by Roman – Ruby knew the language; it had just been the social barriers of polite society that prevented her from giving in to her impulses. With them gone, she was free to curse however she wanted.

In fact, she was free to do a lot of things. Ruby's silver eyes widened as a smile broke out on her face.

Torchwick's cane pressed down on her stomach, pinning her to the floor.

"Dick," Ruby said. "Ass. Ass! Asshole!"

"What the hell's wrong with her?" Roman muttered as he struck Ruby's torso, the blow absorbing into her aura. She'd stretched it thin, like Cinder had showed her, and while it hurt a bit more, she barely took any damage and used but half the normal percentage of aura blocking would've done.

"Heheheh, what the hell's wrong with her?" Ruby parroted, unable to control her snickering. "What the hell's wrong with her? What the fuck's wrong with her? Haaah!"

Torchwick looked mighty concerned about Ruby's sudden bout of potty mouth, but the veteran lawbreaker didn't let up his guard.

"You're crazy," he spat.

"M'not crazy," she countered. "I just needed to make sure you took your eyes off the door for long enough."

Just like that, his eyes shot to the front door, fearful. There was nothing there, but it gave Ruby the one second of distraction she needed.

Ruby swirled out from under his cane when he lifted it for another blow while looking away, speeding out in a torrent of rose petals and crouching in front of him. Raising Crescent Rose, she cut through the walls with reckless abandon as she performed the maneuver Cinder had taught her.

One hit to disarm him…

Melodic Cudgel flew out of Roman's grip from the mighty blow.

"Shit!" Ruby cackled as she spun around in a circle to get into position for the second strike, knocking over a vase that must've been priceless or something onto the floor in her frenzied twirl.

One hit to break his aura…

Ruby smashed right through shelving to deliver the blow that shattered the orange light around Torchwick. The old Ruby didn't make a mess, but who cared right now if she did? The police? The teachers? She was fighting a bad guy, and on top of that, she herself was a bad guy, so there was no more reason to apply social conventions like respecting other's property.

One more to ki–

STOP!

Ruby's muscle memory had already made her swing the scythe. After having performed the three-strike action so many times on loop, the repetitive motion had burned itself into her brain, and it was too late to stop herself. She managed to fire off her last sniper shot to pull her weapon out of the way, though, tearing into the soft flesh of his arm with the easy of a cleaver through fish instead of opening a wide hole in his heart.

"Gah!" screamed Torchwick, instinctively gripping his injured arm with the other. "You insane bitch! You've fucking lost it!"

Ruby pulled Crescent out of his new hole and dropped it to the ground with a clamorous sound. Her arms spread wide as she twirled around in circles. "No, I haven't. They took it."

Ever the crooked bastard, Roman had a trick up his sleeve. Literally. The thief pulled a pocket-sized gun out of his coat and pointed it directly at Ruby, firing off a quick shot. Her aura took the hit, but the distraction was enough time for Roman to dive over his couch and reclaim the cane Ruby had hit away. Unarmed as she was, it would seem he had the advantage on her.

Ruby snorted. It would seem.

It would've been a trivial task to pick up Crescent, but Ruby was having fun right now. For the first time in her life, she could push the boundaries of what mischief she was allowed to get up to, and there was no wall or barrier or stern adult on the other side to stop her. Drunk on her new potential, she decided to do things the amusing way.

She was on him in less than a second with her semblance, shoving her hand into his face and covering his mouth.

"Heya, Grubbie. How about you come on out and greet Mr. Torchbitch?"

The Scarab that Salem had put into her arm exited from Ruby's palm, entering into Roman's mouth. The wide-eyed thief couldn't see the Grimm, but she was sure he could feel it crawling up against his tongue and fluffing it like a pillow.

"Now, Torchwick. It would seem to me that you and I have, eh, miscommunicated. That's a good word for it. You see, there're two things you seem to have gotten wrong. For one thing, I don't need anyone's protection. I've seen a lot of things since we last met, and you don't scare me anymore. And part two, Cinder's no longer calling the shots in our little organization. I'm her boss now."

The last part wasn't strictly true – Ruby was just a vessel for Salem's revenge, and while she was technically more valuable in the Grimm Queen's eyes, Ruby would probably defer to Cinder's expertise when the time came – but it was worth it for the look on Roman's face. His face flushed with terror, likely recalling the muted way Cinder had escorted Ruby from the Grimmlands to Vale when last they'd all met. It had been fear of Salem that motivated her, but Cinder now was Ruby's…Ruby's…Ruby's bottom bitch, ohhhh that felt so good to think, so she supposed it didn't really make a difference.

She drank it in, pleased that the man who'd once been her great nemesis was now just a…a…a nobody compared to her.

"Woo, I really need to cool down," Ruby said, breathing heavily. She wiped her brow and shivered. "What did I even…oh, right, Dust. You're gonna steal me some. A lot, actually. A-And all fresh."

"KKKKKHhhhhyyy."

She figured that was a yes. His eyes said he dared not risk a no.

A small part of Ruby told her that it wasn't enough. She had the renowned Roman Torchwick here, at her mercy. Surely there was something more that she could get from him than plain old Dust?

"Oh, and my space, the one that Cinder gave me here, is mine again. That means you don't get to come in at all, and I can do whatever I want in there. It's my space, and it's mine."

He nodded profusely as the Scarab kicked up its Grimm feet and used his uvula as a beanbag to rest 'em on. Her hand was still covering her mouth, and if she willed it, her Scarab could wreak all sorts of havoc on his digestive system. She wouldn't give the order, but she could. Ruby may have been feeling a little liberated with her newfound realizations, but she had no intention of hurting anyone.

"And…And you're going to help me," she said at last. "On my upcoming mission in Vale. You're Cinder's underling, but now you're also mine."

Coming Soon – Ruby's Life Lesson

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #286 – You ever see a really nice candy bar in a vending machine, but don't have exact change for it? Shatter the window, grab a shard of glass, and use it to cut your money in half (or whatever fraction you need).

Ruby's Tip #770 – It's not the size of the dick between your legs that matters. It's the size of the dick in your heart that matters.

Ruby's Tip #70 – If your scroll gets wet, put it in a sealed back with rice. The moisture will absorb into the rice, and you can cook it, thus preventing the water from going to waste.

Chapter Text

"This is a bad idea," said Roman.

"Can't be worse than telling me no," Ruby shot back.

He took in a deep breath and sighed with a shake of his head. "Yeah, I do guess it can't. That's why I'm going through with it even though it's a bad idea."

She'd let him call the shots when they stole the Dust, as she had no experience on where she would even start on that front. Apparently, it was far easier to break into the storerooms in the back of a Dust shop compared to directly taking from the front and holding up the cashier. Roman had only done that the first night they met because Cinder ordered him to stir up terror. He'd protested, saying that she was giving him two irreconcilable tasks and asking him to complete both, but it had fallen on deaf ears. Cinder told him that theft was theft, and he would do her bidding or perish.

Cinder was Ruby's teacher, so she chose to learn from the woman's mistakes. Torchwick had run point on their Dust robbery, and it was a huge success so far. His grunts in the alleyway out back had made off with nearly an entire store's worth of Dust, more than Ruby could possibly use. Roman had entered by picking the back locks and having Ruby run past the security camera and disable it from below, and the grunts had been handed Dust to load into pre-readied bags that were labelled as Diner-Dash meal deliveries to deflect suspicion.

Roman had been surprisingly happy about how well it worked, even going as far as to compliment Ruby's willingness to defer to him. That raised alarm bells, and it stopped being so surprising when she'd realized that he got to use the stolen Dust for Cinder's original projects. Since Ruby had declared herself the boss of Cinder, that meant Torchwick could justify ignoring his orders to cause a scene and throw the blame at Ruby.

Well, that couldn't work. Thus, Ruby had ordered her and Roman to stay until one of the workers at the higher end Dust shop came back, at which point they would announce their shared villainy and take credit for their crimes. Now that she'd gotten both the Dust and the lesson from him on how to steal, it was time for her to have a little fun.

It was gonna be perfect! Ruby would be piggybacking off of Roman's notoriety, and it would also be a great chance to test her new skills if the Vale Police Department had any hunter level officers. Roman got his Dust, Cinder got her show, Ruby got to…to…to do whatever it was she wanted – a win-win.

What did suck was having to wait, though. There was no telling how long it would take until someone came into the back to check the Dust stores or restock the shelves or however shops worked. Roman didn't know either, so the pair of them were trapped in the back indefinitely. Since no one was supposed to be there, they had to wait in the dark, as the power to the lights was off. That was okay, though – Ruby was of the dark. It was her element, now.

"Do I have to say 'villainy,' though?" asked Torchwick. "The word 'villainy,' specifically?"

Ruby nodded. "You do. I meant, you're already one of the most flamboyant thieves in the city. Everyone knows your face, and you show up on the news committing crimes. You aren't exactly low profile."

"Kid, I only show up when I've planned it out for weeks in advance. Doing stupid shit on impul–"

"Shit!"

He bit his lip and waited for her to be finished. "Doing stupid shit on impulse is how you get caught."

"I can speed us away."

In fact, it would actually be better the more people saw them. No police officer would be able to outrun Ruby – she'd seen those guys, and they weren't built for jogging.

"Do you not get it?" he said, turning away. "They have radios, backup units, choppers – this isn't some videogame where you hide under a cardboard box and they stop seeing you as soon as your out of their frame of view. If you're spotted, the fuzz can put the entire district on lockdown. If we're spotted, it'll be the entire city. They outnumber us fifteen thousand to one, so you're still a child if you think that being tougher than me means you can fight your way out. Newsflash: there is no fighting your way out. They'll swamp you until you're worn down. Individual strength can't fix everything."

"I'm not a child," Ruby said, frowning. "Not anymore."

Roman sarcastically snorted. "Yeah, cuz saying fuck every other word doesn't make you sound immat–"

"Fuck!"

She refused to be out-eviled by this scoundrel, so every time profanity came up, Ruby one-upped Roman. As a darkened child of the night, her only true limits were the limits she had once placed on herself, and now that she'd shed such weaknesses, she was unstoppable.

That was what this was all about. The village…the village had taken a toll on her, and there was nothing like a little rule-breaking to cool down from things. Back in that apartment with Roman, she'd realized that a lot of what she'd taken for granted – laws, rules, manners, so on and so forth – were only followed because she had to fit into society. Now that she was a wanted woman either way, she could cut loose and have a bit of fun on the wrong side of the law.

This is really for the best. I nearly broke at Ovais. I need to get accustomed to being a bad girl, and stealing Dust is a good way to start without anybody having to get hurt. It's easy – we steal the Dust, leave our calling cards, outrun the obese police, and enjoy the fruits of our misdeeds.

"Kid, I'm trying to be reasonable here. I get what yer deal is – Neo had the same thing for a while. You think that because you don't have to follow all the stuffy adults' rules, you're now ascended, and you can do whatever you want. Let me learn you something real quick: some of those rules exist for a reason."

"You?" Ruby nearly laughed. "Are you telling me this?"

"I'm talking about punishments. If you had parents when you went through this rebellious phase, you'd test the waters, and they'd put you in a timeout, and you'd learn your lesson. Or whatever they do to fifteen-year-olds; I ain't no nanny." He lit up a cigar. "'Cept you don't got no folks. You got the system. And the system won't put the girl who offed a headmaster in a timeout."

"Don't bring him up," Ruby bit. "Or I'll snap your face!"

"Snap my…? Ugh, never mind. Look, you're being a lot like Cinder here – thinking might makes right, and that being strongest means you get whatever you want. Yeah, you're stronger'n me, but that doesn't mean you're straight up invincible. I'm trying to warn you here. It's not about ethics – you've clearly lost all sense on that front for some reason. It's boundaries."

"Boundaries?" Ruby asked.

He nodded, taking in a puff of the cigar. "See this? They outlawed 'em in Vale. Too much nicotine. Most people like me, hedonistic scumbags, we say fuck it and sm…don't you dare. We say fuck the law and smoke 'em anyways, 'cause why should some coppers tell us what to put into our bodies? But in the end, I'll get cancer from the tobacco…assuming I live long enough to, what with you 'n' Cindy putting me on these suicide missions every other day. I'm willing to accept that, but most of the rebels who try them out aren't and end up screwing themselves. Even if we wake up and choose violence, the laws exist for a reason, and you need to know just what your boundaries are or you'll be living the consequences. Cinder certainly doesn't want to look at her own limits."

Ruby tilted her head at the curious thief. "I somehow doubt the police would arrest you for your stogies when you steal all the –"

He threw the cigar down and stamped it out angrily. "Dammit, you're missing the point. The moral is that just because ya can do something doesn't mean ya should. Alright, I'll get literal with ya. Suppose the perfect crime dropped into my lap: robbing the Central Bank of Vale, the biggest money pot in town, for its six hundred billion lien account. The guards all take their coffee break at the same time when I'm in the neighborhood, and I can magically seize my chance and grab all that dough out with no risk. Tempting for a thief like yours truly, innit? Boy, I could salivate for days thinking of all that cash."

He smiled wistfully at the thought of it.

"So, would I do it? Hell no. Firstly, I'd never have the cops off my ass. Huntsmen and huntresses would hound me for the rest of my life. Secondly, if I robbed that much dough, it's not like I could live like a king. All of the billionaires in the world are public figures, so if I showed up flaunting my fat stacks, I'd draw too much attention to myself. Thirdly, if the bank fell, Vale would fall apart. The economy would flounder, and the stock market would be in shambles, and the recession that would follow would be big enough to seriously jeopardize the whole damn place's safety. You may think I'm a scoundrel, and by my own admission, I am, but this scoundrel can't risk bringing an entire kingdom to its knees. I need a bustling city, a functioning society, to live in. There are things that I might be able to do, but I'm wise enough to know that I'd lose more than I'd gain. It's not about right or wrong; it's about consequences. I know my boundaries." Torchwick slapped his chest for effect, then pointed at her. "Do you?"

Roman watched with curiosity as the tyke he'd once called a thorn in his side poured some of his milk into his bowl filled with his cereal and stirred it a few times. The news was ranting and raving about the largest Dust theft in the city having taken place in broad daylight, and Little Red was now sitting her ass down on his couch as she turned up the volume.

Cinder hadn't gotten the message, but Ruby had. Instead of breaking his fingers for the backtalk, she'd gotten over herself and ended her little power trip, choosing to defer to his thieving expertise. As a result, they were enjoying the luxuries of Roman's apartment rather than the hospitality of a prison cell.

She's smarter than Cinder. That bitch thinks that she could just bully her way through life. When I told her that I knew how the news worked and that she'd get her notoriety one way or another, she ignored me, because she didn't want the expert telling her how he knew better. Red actually listened, and now we have boatloads of Dust and our freedom.

Well, as free as a slave to two powerful women could ever be.

He didn't quite get Ruby Rose, and he was fairly certain she didn't get herself either. Uprooted from the life she'd known for so long, she had yet to determine her place in this new world of larceny, witchcraft, and smuggling. That little display earlier had been one attempt to find it. She had seen Cinder and imitated, but she'd somehow been smart enough to figure out that it wasn't for her and pull herself out of the quagmire before it swallowed her whole.

"Thanks for the cereal, Mr. Torchwick."

Roman made a vomiting sound quieter than she could hear. Mister. He despised that brat, allies or not.

Now that she'd gotten over her rebellious phase, she seemed to be more like her usual goody-two-shoes self. Red had realized that she didn't particularly like cursing like a Mantlean sailor and throwing her weight around by being a bully – she had only ever tried it in the first place because she thought it made her more adult-y.

Still, be she a polite little child or a rude alpha-wench, she had trounced him. She really was improving, and whatever control of the Grimm Cinder had shared with her only would make her more and more of a threat as she grew.

Red was a fifteen-year-old. That meant she was kind of weak, but it also meant she had all the room in the world to grow. Roman, at thirty-three, had basically peaked in terms of combat ability, though he had no intention of ever admitting it.

She still swore, every now and then, but when she wanted to – actually wanted to, not when she impulsively thought to. It seemed like the kid had taken his lesson to heart: it's fine to break the rules when it comes with a benefit, but breaking them for the sake of it is mindless.

I really shouldn't be giving her lessons, he thought, idly rubbing at his cheeks where the beetle had cut the inside of his mouth with its razor-sharp legs. She's gonna eclipse Cinder sooner or later, and I'd be a fool to nurture that kind of talent. It would've been better if I'd let her get herself taken in by the cops today…except I would've been caught right alongside her.

He adjusted his bowler hat and grabbed himself the bowl of cereal and milk that she'd poured for him. Red glanced his way with a smile as he sat next to her and did his best to tune out the advertisement playing on the TV.

"Why'dja do it?" he asked, digging his spoon into the sugary flakes. It was far too sweet for his tastes, but Emerald had stocked up on it when she and Cinder took the place over, and Roman refused to throw it away. He wanted to eat everything that belonged to that little brat just to spite her.

"Do…it?" Ruby asked. "You mean…Qrow?"

"Actually, I meant Ozpin, but I guess it's kind of the same question."

Little Red said nothing.

"Kid? You know I can't go blabbing – Cinder doesn't believe a word out of my mouth, unless those words are 'I have Dust' or 'Please torture me for your own amusement.' I mean, I've never actually said the second one, but if I did, she'd probably listen up real close."

Even if what Roman said was true, she couldn't tell him the truth, or a lie. He had seen right through her little display that afternoon, and he seemed like he might just be perceptive enough to figure out the truth from any excuse she gave. Even stuttering out her normal lie might not be enough.

"We need to get ready for the rally," she said.

"Again with this?" Torchwick sighed. "Kid, you gotta –"

"I've been ordered to do this."

"By Cinder? Yeah, I kinda figured you might not've been her boss."

Ruby shook her head. "One level up."

From the look on Roman's face, he must not have known the specifics of who was above Cinder, because he didn't blanch in fear of Salem's very mentions.

"So, this rally. What're your objectives? What's the win condition?"

Ruby took in another mouthful of Pumpkin Pete's, finishing swallowing before she spoke. She didn't need to, because there was no one to tell her it was a rule, but if she didn't, he just wouldn't understand the garbled mumblings that came out of a mouthful of mushed breakfast. Plus, it would just be gross. Her learned desire to not talk with her mouth full might not be strictly necessary, but she felt it just the same, so ignoring it and being gross just to be gross for the sake of it was stupid, especially when it offended her just as much.

Roman had been right. With no society to tell her what to do, she only had herself and the villains, and since the villains weren't really on her side, that left just her. No one was going to police her behavior except herself.

"I'm just supposed to inflame racial tensions and make the Faunus there believe humans are jerks. We're hoping it'll push more people Cinder's way."

"Fucking animals."

"Don't be a dick," Ruby said reflexively. "Don't tell me that with all your street-smart ways, you actually think Faunus are worse. There are some really smart Faunus and some cruddy humans – present company included in the latter."

"Oh, I'm sure there's good one and all that fluff, but I don't really care. Most of 'em are less educated, poorer, and just all-around stupid."

"That isn't the fault of the Faunus," said Ruby. "Most predominantly Faunus schools don't get half the funding that the ones with humans do – that's a real statistic. And its only because of the lasting effects of the Second Enforcement just after the Faunus Wars that Faunus are poor – most of them lost everything when the kingdoms seized their funds, and they still refused to pay the victims' families back 100 years later! There were serious lingering impacts on their people because of that, and poor parents didn't have as many opportunities to make better lives for their kids, perpetuating the cycle of –"

Roman nodded along, smiling a bit too wide to be sincere. "Yeah, yeah, uh-huh, yeah, 100% a-okay! Quite right, Red. It's not their fault. But that doesn't change the fact that most Faunus are useless pieces of street garbage. Fault doesn't matter in the real world. You're proving my points, anyways: they're being marginalized, which means they're on average stupider cuz their schools suck balls, which means they're the more worthless of the two species."

Ruby glared at him. Every time she thought she might've found someone with a lick of common sense in this evil villain world of hers, they always went and proved her wrong. Yeah, it was totes for the best that she didn't get comfortable or anything with the people that were going out and do bad things, but would it have killed the bad guys to hire one friendly villain who didn't also hate the Faunus or mass murder the innocent or go from wanting to kill Ruby to making out with her on the flip of a dime?!

Coming Soon – Ruby's Rally

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #339 – Neck deep in credit card debts? Here's what to do: start by considering a process known as debt snowballing, in which you start by paying off the smallest balances first to prevent them from accruing interest altogether. Be sure to budget enough funds to still cover your minimum payments on each account, though (seriously consider automated electronic transfer if applicable). Another method is to tackle high interest debt first, going above the minimum whenever possible on these accounts. Opinions vary on debt consolidation, as it may lower your interest rates when done successfully but also extends the overall lifespan of your debt. Filing for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is certainly an option to liquidate some debts, but it will seriously impact your credit score for up to ten years and requires specific conditions to be met. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, on the other hand, reorganizes debt under a 3-5 year covered repayment period, though this relief plan requires regular income. Neither option should be considered lightly – choose what's best for you depending on your circumstances.

Chapter Text

"Yeah, sorry to burst your bubble, kid, but I can't exactly help you in person," Roman said, when Ruby finally got around to planning for the upcoming mission. "Cinder's gonna need me working with the White Fang closely, so I can't exactly be seen rilin' those animals up."

"How closely?" asked Ruby, squinting at him.

"This close." He held up two middle fingers right near each other.

She would've admonished him for only bringing this up now, but it was actually a welcome excuse to remove him from the rally. After hearing some more of his views of racial equality and why it was pointless, Ruby was both unenthused at having to spend time with him and worried that the mission might go too well. Her goal, after all, was to drive Faunus recruits closer to the White Fang, not to start a riot in the streets.

"I can give you some advice on how to stir the pot, if you'd like."

Ruby weighed it over. Roman might lie about how to be racist, but at the same time, she could just consider his advice and reject it if she didn't think it was going to work. This wasn't some cartoon where the deceitful adult manipulated the blind idiot kid to do whatever shenanigans he requested.

"Alright. If the CEO of Racism himself is willing to lend me his knowledge, I'd be a fool to decline," she said.

"CEO of…? Never mind." Roman placed an arm over Ruby's shoulder as they exited the apartment, which she immediately shrugged off. It was almost nighttime, and Tyrian had finally messaged Ruby with some latitude and longitude coordinates for the location of the rally. She was lucky he had, for any address in another language would've gone right over her head.

"So, here's your problem. You ain't racist. Not like me, at least, and not like the people who truly despise the Faunus, not by a long shot. That means, when you say 'I do so surely hate the Faunus whom I hate' or some other made up schtick, they'll see right through it."

"I wouldn't say –"

"Again, you're not seeing the point. When you say some insult, you'll not be believing it. It won't be something you thought of naturally, but something you consciously cooked up to be inflammatory. Real racists speak from the heart – they say the unpretty things that they actually think are true, making it far more genuine – whereas you'll be making it up on the fly. Faunus who've been yelled at all their life will be able to tell the difference between someone who hates them and someone trying to make it sound like they hate them. Remember, kid, this won't be the first time the White Fang hired a false flag human instigator, and they've been caught with their pants down before. Folks'll be on the lookout for discrepancies."

"So, what? You'll tell me some good zingers before the show?"

He shook his head. "You're gonna have to improvise. If you're reading lines and not responding to the flow of the audience, that'll show too."

"Then what's the advice?" Ruby asked. So far, she'd been hearing a lot of what could go wrong and why they couldn't fix it. The part about how to solve her problem had yet to appear.

"I can't give you some magic advice that fixes it all."

"Then why did –!"

"But I can give you some general tips."

Ruby bit her tongue. This guy was really good at getting under her skin. "Go on," she hissed.

"You're gonna need to get in touch with your inner bigot."

"My what?"

"Your inner bigot. Lemme explain. Every human being in existence, hell, every being in existence is a naturally frightened, jittery, terrified creature. We're cowardly little wretches that jump at our own shadows because we're born with written instincts that tell us to run away from danger. Now, most of the time, danger's face is anything different from what we already know. That means, if it don't look like me, there's some part of me deep down that wants to hate it 'cause of that. It's the cause of all the racism you so thoroughly look down upon, but the truth is that it's the same's for you, as much as you may not want to admit it. You're a human, which means there's a part of you deep down that's ready to fly out of your own skin when something you don't understand comes into play, not because it poses a danger but solely on account of it being something you don't understand. You just need to tap into that part of yourself, ya know, unbury it. Once it's out, you'll be able to let the fear flow like blood, and the words you need to say will come naturally."

Torchwick just smiled when Ruby stared at him incredulously.

Her inner bigot…Ruby didn't exactly want to unbury that part of herself, if it even existed. See, this was what she meant – just because Roman Torchwick of all people gave her advice didn't mean she had to follow it. Getting in touch with some mystical inner instinct that said being racist was good…what a bunch of baloney.

The coordinates ended up pointing her to a hotel, of all places. Ruby hadn't expected the White Fang to host a rally in such a blatantly public place, but the portable sign at the front said that a group called 'Valean Multispecies Community Organization' had booked the conference room.

It made sense, in hindsight. All they needed was one legitimate person to buy out the room for the night and call themselves part of some fake organization. Then, when the doors were locked for their private meeting, they could put on whatever masks and discuss whatever evil plans were in effect freely. There was really no need to meet in some abandoned warehouse and seem all suspicious-like – just claim to be a legitimate group and then wait until the doors closed. They could even post advertisements about Vale without risk of being shut down by the police.

Inner bigots aside, it wasn't going to be too difficult to find it in herself to get angry at these people. If they were on the verge of joining the White Fang, that meant they were willing to hurt the innocent to get their way. Ruby knew that Faunus had it bad, and she would never begrudge anyone taking action to fix the problems in the world that came from inequality and hate, but the White Fang just wasn't doing that. Maybe they used to, but nowadays they mostly just killed innocent humans and Faunus in the name of 'proving their strength.'

The rally hadn't started yet, if it could even be called a rally, but there were plenty of Faunus milling about in the lobby and bar. It was a lucky break for Ruby that it was held in such a public space, because it wasn't weird for her to be there. A bit odd for a teenaged girl to be spending time in a fancy hotel place, but not nearly as conspicuous as it would've been in an old, abandoned factory or dusty hidden zone under the pier or whatever other place the White Fang could've met. Here, she was just a kid milling about innocently – people's eyes passed right over her without a second glance.

Welp, time to get started. There seemed to be a gaggle of Faunus with a scant few humans mixed in all conversing at the center of the lobby. The eight or so people were dressed to impress and clearly seemed to be the people in charge. As they lazily spoke to one another, Ruby slowly ambled over to their cluster of cushioned chairs, taking out her scroll to make it look like she was distracted.

Roman had said that the worst thing she could do was not sound like a genuine racist, but Ruby had seen enough absurdly offensive folks in videos on the public freakout subRemnit to know roughly how they spoke. She could do this; just walk up, pretend to be surprised and disgusted by the Faunus, and then run off when people started filming. Heck, she'd infiltrated Salem's deepest inner circles with nothing but her wits and incredible cover story provided by her uncle's death. This would be a cakewalk by comparison.

As she got closer, she came to hear more and more of their ongoing discussion. A human and a pair of Faunus were currently engaging in some sort of polite debate.

"…our people a bad name, the further we shall be set back. I truly think that you're not giving this issue the gravity it deserves."

"Oh, I full acknowledge that this is a problem, and quite possibly the most severe one our generation will –"

"There is no quite possibly; it's a certainty."

"Well, if you'd let me finish, you'd have heard me say that it shall be up to each and every Faunus must address this issue."

"I disagree," said one of the other Faunus. "Not about the severity, but about the responsibility. I'd expect anyone to speak out against them, but it is no more the job of each and every Faunus to face head on than it is the responsibility of each and every human to –"

Ruby, eyes on her scroll, intentionally bumped into the side of one of the Faunus' armchair.

"Oh my goodness!" she quailed. "I am so…oh."

Her facial expression dropped the second she made direct eye contact.

"Ick. Never mind," she murmured, walking on her way.

That should be enough. These White Fang folks were supposed to be pretty anti-human, and while these fellas may have been low enough down the chain of command to actually associate with them, there was absolutely no way that they would let such a blatant display of human chauvinism pass.

Except there was a way. The way was that they did.

As Ruby walked away, she tried not to panic. Okay, so she'd gone and racisted them, and they hadn't reacted. That was okay – she just needed to step up her game.

"The funding of predominantly Faunus schools is less than 40% of what human-heavy schools receive, young lady. Furthermore, many Faunus families lost access to their bank accounts during the Second Enforcement, and Faunus owned and operated businesses are nearly guaranteed to be denied a loan on their first try."

If Ruby hadn't been ordered to complete this mission, she would've run off in a cloud of rose petals by now. Everything she'd tried to do to cause a scene had horribly failed, from drawing a picture of a crude dog on the White Fang's portable sign (they'd thought her a budding artist) to calling the cops on them (they'd ID'd her by her voice as Ozpin's killer and she'd hung up immediately) to glaring at them for ten minutes straight (they'd just straight up ignored her).

In the end, she'd just had to go with the good old fashioned 'yelling a racial slur in a public space.' It physically made her gut recoil to have the word pass her lips, as she'd spent so many years treating such language as a taboo, but it had to be done.

That, of course, had led the violent extremists' leadership to finally address her by cornering her and…and…and…

"We're not trying to criticize you, little girl," said one of the Faunus. "Children like you are the future, and if you're using a word like that, there's no doubt you heard it from someone else who regularly uses such language. It's up to us to break the cycle, which is what we're trying to do here. This isn't us censuring you, this is us trying to open up a discourse."

One of the humans politely smiled. "If you truly feel like Faunus are inferior to humans, please explain why. This isn't a trick question; we all truly believe that equality is demonstratable logically and factually. Explain what makes you feel the way you do, and we'll do the same. In the end, the truth will out. This is how both sides come together."

I'm not an old codger who hates because of the Faunus wars. I'm a kid, which means they still see me as redeemable.

It wasn't fair. Ruby wasn't actually a racist, meaning that she had no arguments about why humans were better. Her goal here wasn't to prove anything to these people, just to draw up controversy in front of all the Faunus who hadn't yet decided which side of the fence they were on. Well, the entire lobby was watching now, but if Ruby failed to complete her mission from Salem or, worse yet, actually made it look like violence wasn't the answer, it would be horrible.

And the worst part is, violence isn't the answer! How do I prove something that I don't even believe in?!

"F-Faunus are dirty…"

Darn it, the words coming out of her mouth didn't sound nearly convincing enough (probably because she knew they weren't true).

"Faunus are dirty!" she repeated, louder. Several members of the onlooking audience scowled.

Good. Good – get angry and be mad at humans, or the world could literally end!

"Are they?" asked one of the humans. "Extensive research studies have been conducted, and there has been no significant correlation between species and disease. Currently, there are no confirmed contagious illnesses that affect Faunus more than humans, and while a handful of genetic conditions tend to be more prevalent in…"

No, no, no! Weren't the White Fang supposed to be angry and hateful? Ugh, this sucked! Ruby wanted to interrupt him as he explained the topic, but she couldn't think of any good counterarguments here. It was impossible; she was thinking logically about why people would be illogical, and it wasn't working. Most anti-Faunus arguments were emotion-based and didn't center around facts.

"…anything, it proves that Faunus are suffering, not that they're inflicting harm on others."

"Oh, yeah?" Ruby asked. "Izzat so? Well, maybe the world would be better off if there were no Faunus! What do you think of that?"

A Faunus woman smiled. "I think that means you've been exposed to hateful ideologies that you don't truly understand, and now you're on the verge of questioning them. You don't exactly sound all that convinced, yourself."

Because I'm not! Do you want me to fail here? I'm trying to save lives and stop the Grimm, lady!

Ruby had to concede it, but Roman had been right. If she wanted to do this, she would need to tap into her inner bigot. The problem was, the thief hadn't exactly been forthright explaining how she was supposed to do that.

"Faunus are filthy!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air.

"Still?" said the human who'd quoted the scientific studies. "We've been over this. I can even point you to the sources in question, if it would allay any concerns over me making this up."

I need to get angry. I need to feel hatred – maybe not against the Faunus, but against something that I do hate. The Grimm? Cinder? The White Fang?

The White Fang…that might work. If Ruby spoke about the White Fang, something she truly could be upset about, and just phrased it as Faunus, she might just get passionate enough to get worked up.

The guy was taking out his scroll to show her the sources when Ruby spat on the floor. Taking in a deep breath, she braced herself.

Okay, no more games. Time to channel my inner bigot. I know it's in there, somewhere, if I dig deep enough.

"You wanna talk about facts, you animal-fuckers? Here's some facts – Faunus are criminals!" Ruby screamed.

Every single one of the White Fang.

"Every single one of them!" She pointed at the people in front of her, as well as many members of the crowd that had gathered around them. "You can cite whatever lies you have, but we all know that Faunus love killing humans."

"That's not –"

He's defending the White Fang. He's lying!

"IT IS TRUE!"

Ruby pushed the Faunus who'd spoke up backwards, sending him sprawling.

"They murder people left and right, and then they claim to be the good guys? I don't think so! They're violent, crazy extremists, and the entire planet would be better off if they all just gave up. O-Or better yet, jump off a cliff!"

Ruby could remember watching the Argus Limited Hostage Crisis on TV, where over fifty innocent people were held by White Fang fanatics for no reason other than the fact that they were humans and in the wrong place at the wrong time. Two thirds of them had died.

Yang had tried to cover her eyes when they'd showed the aftermath, but Ruby had watched the whole news report from start to finish. Even at ten-years-old, she'd known she was going to be a huntress, and huntresses stopped things like that.

"You go out and murder innocent people, and then you come to me with the audacity to claim that you aren't monsters? Y-You're worse than the Grimm, because the Grimm don't have a choice! You do! You do, and you do it anyways, because you're evil! EVIL!"

That got the reaction she'd been hoping for. All of the well-dressed people were silent as the grave, and most of the crowd was displeased.

One of the suits tried to speak up. "N-Not every Faunus is –"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Crescent clocked him on the side of the head. It wasn't enough force to do any lasting damage, but it was easily enough to draw blood. It was what he deserved, though, for defending the White…

N-No. For defending the Faunus.

…for being White Fang! That was right – this was all a White Fang rally, so he was secretly a part of the organization that Ruby hated so viscerally. He was a terrorist.

Ruby looked around at the crowd, who were all backing up a ways.

Wait, wasn't Tyrian supposed to be here? Infiltrating the rally?

Also, if these people are all White Fang recruits or members, why were they trying to be all civil about convincing me not to be racist?

Ruby looked at the portable sign again: Valean Multispecies Community Organization.

Oh.

"It's her!" someone shouted. "The one who killed the headmaster of Beacon!"

"She's got the scythe! It her! Call the police!"

Someone grabbed Ruby's shoulder, but she ignored it. There were screams of fear, terrified shouting at the killer who'd murdered Ozpin, but Ruby couldn't hear it. Nothing reached her.

Salem…

She wrestled free and pulled out her arm. Checking her scroll, she looked at Tyrian's coordinates again, just to verify that she hadn't mixed them up and gotten the wrong place.

She hadn't. Right now, she was definitely where she'd been told to go.

Salem made me…

Ruby whipped Crescent around and screamed as she sliced an empty couch cushion in half. The people who'd tried to restrain her lost their resolve and fled, leaving Ruby alone with herself, her thoughts, and her shame.

Omake

Ruby's inner bigot:

Coming Soon – Ruby's Regret

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #600 – Tired of having to make your bed every morning, only to ruin it again that night? Just don't make your bed! There's no real good reason to do it. It makes no sense, like, at all! Seriously, dad, why do you keep telling me to make my bed? It's dumb! I don't get it! I mean, no one's going to come into my room and inspect it or anything, so why do I have to keep it clean? And also, you need to stop it with the meatloaf. Neither of us like meatloaf, and Yang always gets gassy when you put in too much spinach. Just make us anything other than meatloaf, I'm begging you!

Chapter Text

Roman hadn't been quite right about Ruby being unable to escape the police. When the first sound of sirens filled her ears, she used her semblance to get out of there faster than a skeleton at a dog park. The mission was complete, as per Salem's instructions, but Ruby didn't feel victorious. Salem had manipulated Ruby into harassing a bunch of innocent Faunus who had nothing to do with the White Fang, and she'd somehow even tricked Ruby into feeling good about it for a second there.

It was a solid victory for both Salem and Ruby. On Salem's part, she'd pushed Ruby one step closer to doing evil things and being the villain she wanted the silver-eyed huntress to become. On Ruby's part, she'd managed to pull off her first action mission successfully and gained more of Salem's trust.

The next step was to meet up with Cinder, but with Tyrian off to do his own thing, there was no rush. She'd texted the woman on her scroll that she would only be free two hours from now, effectively buying her time to gather herself and prepare for the upcoming interaction with her girlfriend.

It's not that bad, what I did. Like, if Salem had told me it was a group of normal people and not terrorists, I would have done it anyways, because it was my cover.

The problem with that logic was that Salem perfectly anticipated the way Ruby would think. She'd taken comfort in the fact that the people she'd been telling off were terrorists, and upon learning that they really weren't, she'd retroactively tried to justify her actions. Salem had probably even planned for that.

This is her win, not mine. But…the whole thing is that I'm going to have to let her win until it all ends, so I guess her winning is my victory…

Ozpin had really outdone himself. The further Salem dug her claws into Ruby, the better off he would be. Everyone got to win but Ruby.

"White Fang? Of course it was the White Fang," Cinder assured Ruby. "Tyrian might be baffling, but he's also bafflingly competent."

"Are you sure?" said Ruby. "Cuz, like, they never game me any indication that they were evil."

"Would terrorists advertise themselves? The White Fang would not have survived as long as it did if they couldn't fit back into civilization at a moment's notice."

"Ok."

"I'm serious," Cinder said. "Adam Taurus, the most hateful one of the Brother Gods' creations' I've ever met, knows that there can come times when he must shake hands with the enemies and disavow his own cause. If he can do that, then does it surprise you that a handful of grunts ten miles down the chain of command are wise enough not to pick a fight with a human child in public?"

"I said ok."

"And I said I'm serious." Cinder pulled Ruby back towards her before she could turn away in frustration. "Ruby, this isn't some conspiracy to discredit you. If you'd been fed false information going into this mission, you would've been more likely to fail it. Salem cares more for success than anything else."

Except Salem's goal for me isn't just to have me do her bidding. She wants me to embrace the bad guy dynamic you all are already a part of.

Ruby didn't even for a second consider that Cinder was telling the truth, because the way things turned out was faaaaaar too perfect for Salem's goals to have been a misunderstanding. She'd lied intentionally about it being the White Fang, and she'd let Ruby figure out on her own that she'd done something horrible.

"Let's move on," Ruby said. "What's my next job?"

"Can't we just enjoy one another's company for a moment?" asked Cinder, batting her eyes coquettishly. Ruby would've thought it intentionally sarcastic if not for the fact that Cinder had the romantic sense of a dead reindeer. Cinder was stalling for some reason.

Still, she couldn't call Cinder out on it. Both girls were holding the truth hostage, and it was to neither of their benefit to expose the shallowness of their faux relationship.

"I would, but this is Roman's apartment, and I don't like the idea of relaxing around him."

"I'm right here," said Roman, leaning back from the couch on which he sat. "I can hear you."

"That's a good point," said Cinder, smirking at Ruby. "He's quite the disgusting little bug when you get down to it."

"He absolutely is. Do you have any other places to go beside our apartment that used to belong to him but doesn't when we're in it?" Ruby asked. "Anywhere else we can have some privacy?"

There isn't. The only other place she has is Beacon, and asking me to go there would be stupid.

"I'm afraid I don't, Little Rose. With your face as well known as it is, we no longer have the luxury of going out in public."

"Well, if that's the case…"

Cinder stepped away and shook her head. "It's not so simple. I know you're eager to get more achievements under your belt, but…"

"What's the problem?"

"Let's talk somewhere more private."

They didn't actually leave. Instead, Cinder just realized that she could send Roman away and did so, instructing him to steal some more Dust. Ruby had explained how she and Torchwick had successfully teamed up and that Cinder was tying his hands by asking him to do it publicly, and Cinder (beholden to Ruby's will due to Salem's maiden choice) had agreed.

When he was out and away, Cinder took Ruby into Cinder's own space and shut the door tightly.

"Do not summon your Scarab for any reason."

"I wasn't planning to."

"Good. Don't. It cannot hear us while within your arm, but when drawn outside by your will, it can fully perceive the world around it as well as any other Grimm."

Ruby recalled sending it down Torchwick's throat. Had Salem been seeing the thief's tonsils through her Grubbie's eyes? It wasn't a secret that she'd done it, but it might be awkward the next time she went to Evernight for a status update and had to come face to face with the woman who she'd forced to look into a grown man's gullet.

"C-Can Salem see it? W-What the beetle sees, that is."

Cinder softly shook her head. "No, her grace cannot see what the Scarabs see. However, they contain memories she can access if she were to command them to exit your body in her presence. She would have to be close."

"Okay," Ruby said. "Good to know."

Cinder looked at her questioningly. "Have you done something that shouldn't be seen by her?"

"No," Ruby said truthfully. "I used the beetle in a fight in a gross way, and I just wanna know if Salem was watching."

"You used the…huh. That's actually a rather interesting concept."

Ruby shrugged. "Besides, it you who's keeping things from Salem."

That got a reaction from the other woman, and a quite unpleasant one. Her yellow eyes departed from Ruby and flicked anxiously to the door. "I would never keep anything from our queen. What could possibly make you think otherwise?"

"Cinder, it's kinda obvious. You told me to keep my Scarab hidden. Unless we're gonna…d-do it, and you don't want anyone to know, it's gotta be something secret that would upset Salem."

Cinder surged forward and gripped Ruby's shoulders. "I-I am not going to try and harm you, Ruby. You know that, right? Ri–?"

"Relax, Cin." Ruby removed the hands that were on her. "I'm not gonna go telling to Salem on you. I know you would never backstab me."

Because Salem would wipe you off the face of Remnant, assuming you were even alive after your Scarab tried to eat you alive, Ruby thought.

"Because you love me," Ruby said.

Ruby got up on her tippy-toes to kiss Cinder. When their lips parted, she smiled.

"Good," said Cinder. "Good, good. Ruby…I want us to do something that Salem would absolutely approve of, but only if we succeed. Her grace thinks it's too early, and that you're not yet properly trained. I agree that you are still inexperienced, but in my opinion, that means we need to do this now, before your life is imperiled on any other missions. You've already been on two, and for every second of those short tasks, my heart nearly burst out of my chest with worry that harm would befall you."

Ruby grinned cheekily and wiggled her shoulders. "Awwwww, you care."

"Of course, Ruby, of course."

Ruby didn't doubt that Cinder was worrying her ears off every time Ruby went out into the field, but not out of any genuine concern for her charge's well-being.

"So, what's the job?" Ruby asked.

Cinder looked her dead in the eyes, her expression steady. "I think it's time you became a maiden."

"The Spring maiden?" Ruby asked, her jaw nearly dropping.

"No," Cinder said, her head pulling back. "Fall, actually. Why Spring?"

Ruby racked her brains to come up with the best excuse she could on short notice.

"Cuz it's the first one."

Cinder stared at her in confusion. "The…first…one. The first one? I don't follow."

"The first season in the year. Spring."

"The…oh. O-Okay. N-No, we're going to be hunting down the Fall maiden to get you her power." Cinder regained some of her composure, likely not wanting to appear flustered in front of her underling/boss/girlfriend/master/Ruby. "Emerald, Mercury, and I were able to locate her in a small pitstop of a settlement, Temeria, before she returned to Vale prior to arriving at whatever final destination she had in mind."

"Because of Qrow," Ruby said, knowing that Cinder was aware of this and aware that Ruby was aware of it.

"Because of your uncle, yes." Cinder nodded. "Our goal here is to visit Temeria, locate any clues as to the maiden's movements, and ideally figure out what the intentions behind her travels truly are. Well, ideally we'd run into her and kill her, but short of receiving the very Gods' favor, I think it's unlikely that we'll accomplish that today."

"How long do you think finding her will take?"

"I only have an excused absence of a week from Beacon," Cinder said. "Lionheart can remotely write off a single student for that long without it seeming suspicious. Mercury and Emerald will remain there in my stead, saying that an urgent family situation has arisen. With Qrow and Ozpin dead, though, Fall will never be more vulnerable – we've you to thank for that."

It's almost funny – Amber was out visiting family before she got called back, and now you're claiming the same.

Wait.

Wait, something about that seemed…off. Ruby scrunched up her brow.

Something that Cinder had said just couldn't be right, but Ruby was unable to put her finger on it. She didn't think it was any secret knowledge from Ozpin that she wasn't supposed to have, but just the way Cinder was speaking about her time in Beacon that tipped off Ruby's sense of wrongness.

Deciding to take the risk, she went for a direct approach.

"Cinder, uh…"

"Yes?"

"I don't follow. How are you getting time off from Beacon?"

"I'm only a transfer student, not an actual enrollee. Thus, Leonardo Lionheart is my headmaster, not Glynda Goodwitch."

Ruby's BS radar continued to beep, louder and louder.

She squinted, unsure of where this might be going. "Leonardo Lionheart…"

"Oh, I forgot that you didn't know. He's one of Salem's."

Ruby froze.

But he's…

Lionheart was supposed to be a hero. With equivalent power to the other headmasters, he was both one of the physically strongest huntsmen alive in the entire world and one of the most politically influential people out there, period. No ordinary Faunus was at the same level of prestige as the esteemed Ozpin and the Atlesian general of steel. The man managed an entire academy – by Dust, he managed an entire kingdom!

If he was on the side of the Grimm, that meant humanity had already lost.

Goodwitch needed to know this. Whatever maiden powers Ruby might get paled in comparison to the knowledge that one of the four headmasters was a traitor. There could be an untold number of lives lost if he remained in his position.

I'm already in Vale. I need to come in with this. Miss Goodwitch will understand why this trumps a single maiden's powers that I wasn't sure to get anyways. They said that no intelligence could be worth more than Spring, but they didn't think I would find out something like this.

Besides, the good guys might yet find the Spring maiden. My only job was to make sure that Salem's team doesn't find it first.

Ruby's mission could change. With Ozpin dead and Goodwitch so far away, there was no one to make decisions for her but her. She felt confident that if they knew what she'd just learned, they would concur.

One maiden can't be worth –

Ruby looked at Cinder, realizing that neither of them had said anything for nearly a minute.

"I know," Cinder said with a smile rich with understanding. "It's a bit of a shock to those not yet in the know."

It wasn't one maiden at stake here. It was all four.

If Salem's side got their hands on any of the maidens, like Amber who they were dangerously close to finding already, the power would go to Ruby. That meant that her mission to find the Spring maiden had already grown to encompass keeping any of the maidens from being stolen and controlled by Salem.

If I bail here, Salem will just go back to Cinder as her maiden host, and she'll track down Amber and become Fall.

Perhaps the knowledge that Lionheart was a traitor wasn't worth a single maiden. But it could easily be worth all four.

Assuming that Spring was the hardest maiden to find, given both side's difficulties in locating her, it was likely that Ruby would be tasked with accumulating the powers of the other three first. If she quit now, it would be no different than dangling those powers in front of Cinder and by extension Salem.

And Miss Goodwitch said Lionheart was spearheading Ozpin's search efforts for Spring. The good guys have no chance of finding her first if I don't stick around. If I call it in and spook him, he'd take all his leads to Salem, and I'd lose my cover with her.

But would she? Could Ruby somehow stick around with Cinder and also somehow leak the truth about Haven's headmaster to Miss Goodwitch? Was there a way to have both her cake and eat it to?

Ruby sighed and mumbled some sort of apology to Cinder for being so distracted. If there were such a way, it expired about a minute ago when Ruby reacted as she had.

Should she discreetly reach out to Beacon and have them remove Lionheart, Cinder would remember this exact conversation, where Ruby clammed up and entirely shut down for a full minute upon learning about Lionheart. There was no way she or one of the other minions wouldn't put two and two together to figure out Ruby was a spy.

On the other hand, if Ruby learned the truth and did nothing to act on it, they'd only trust her more. After all, what kind of spy wouldn't report back such valuable intel?

"L-Lionheart," Ruby said, still astounded. "I can't believe…"

Cinder smirked, but for the first time it looked more like she was smirking with Ruby than at her. "Their very leader is an ally of ours. The academies don't stand a chance."

Despite the horror she felt in knowing that statement to be entirely true, Ruby forced back an equally self-congratulatory smile.

With her resolve renewed and her decision made, Ruby and Cinder set out on the trail to the village of Temeria in search of Amber. Ruby already knew who the maiden was and what she was doing in that area (visiting family), but she couldn't reveal that information to Cinder. To prevent this, she'd taken to calling the maiden Pumpkin (because Fall) in her head, just so if she slipped up, she wouldn't say the name Amber.

Given that Ozpin described their powers as world-altering and able to shape the course of history as it was written, Ruby was oddly underwhelmed by the mundane path of A…Pumpkin's travels. This area was practically devoid of Grimm entirely, and there didn't seem to be many troublemaking bandits either. Ruby knew that the maidens had to be kept secret because…because…for some reason, and she accepted that, but if she had the magic Pumpkin did, she would at least travel the most Grimm infested route to clear them and protect others. And yet, as Ruby and Cinder traversed along the dirt trail with only a wooden fence on one side to remind her that civilization existed…

"I thought that the maidens were supposed to be Ozpin's protectors of humanity," she asked Cinder. "What the heck would she be doing this far away from…you know, humanity?"

"I can't say," said Cinder. "It shall be our goal to ascertain this from any clues."

Amb…darn it, Pumpkin had been visiting family, or at least she was planning to. That much was obvious. However, Ruby couldn't rightly recall ever having heard of miraculous weather phenomena saving the kingdoms or the settlements from Grimm. In fact, she often heard the opposite story quite frequently – swaths of innocent people falling to the Grimm. If the maidens were the secret protectors of mankind, where were they?

"Have you ever fought a maiden?" asked Ruby.

"No, or I would be one."

"Have any of Salem's people ever fought maidens?" asked Ruby. "Or her Grimm?"

"No, but I assure you, Little Rose, they do –"

"No, that's not it!" Ruby said, with more volume than she'd intended. "What I mean is, the maidens are supposed to be Ozpin's secret weapons against Salem. So why isn't he using them? Why are maidens traveling down dusty paths to the middle of nowhere when villages are being torn down every day by he– by our forces?"

Cinder scratched at her chin in thought. "Their secrecy is necessary to prevent the maidens from becoming sought after commodities by powerful individuals like governments or the wealthy…but you are right. It's rather peculiar that he doesn't deploy them."

"It's not just odd – if you have a weapon as powerful as the maidens, you'd be making a tactical mistake to just perpetually hide them away. Humanity is just barely holding out against the Grimm – he could at least send the maidens to remote corners of the globe, or have them fight people like us. If Pum…if the Fall maiden hunted down and killed me, it wouldn't compromise her secrecy."

"Then he's a fool," said Cinder. "Who doesn't deserve to win the upcoming –"

"He's not," Ruby interrupted. She was getting kinda tired of Cinder missing the point in favor of just assuming she knew what Ruby meant. "Ozpin is not…er, was not a…actually, since he's coming back, he is not a fool. He's managed to fight Salem's infinitely spawning Grimm despite her immortality making her actually immortal. He's smart, and clever, and crafty. And yet he doesn't use the maidens for war…"

"…which means he has a reason for hiding them," said Cinder, catching on with a grin. Ruby couldn't lean away in time as Cinder tussled her hair. "He's not the only one who's clever."

"It's not that he's using them for something else, since nothing else could be more important than Salem," Ruby reasoned. "And besides, he has more than one of them, so if he did have another project, he could just split them up."

"The vault keys?" Cinder said. "Perhaps he's not holding them back but merely keeping them out of action to protect the relics."

That wouldn't be it. Am…Pumpkin was being sent out to visit her family, so he was certainly willing to part with them. He just wasn't willing to send them out to fight any real battles.

Maybe is that he's too afraid to send them against Salem's minions and Grimm in particular. He lost Spring, which must've made him more timid with the other three. From Ozpin's point of view, the maidens are just lying low, pretending to be normal huntresses, and Salem's none the wiser. If he ordered them to engage the baddies, they might win, but they might also lose, and he'd rather just perpetuate the status quo. It costs Ozpin villages and human lives, but if his maidens just keep moseying about, their covers won't be –

SHIT!

"Vault key?" Ruby asked, turning away from Cinder to stare off into the trees. Her face would be showing terror at the near miss, and she couldn't risk her partner seeing it. "What, like from the video game?"

Ruby could feel Cinder looking at her funnily. "What?"

"What's a vault key? And what's a relic?"

Dang it, that was way too close. As Cinder launched into an explanation of the mechanics of maidenry that Ruby already knew, she let out a sigh of relief and pretended to be gazing out into the forests around them.

Jeez, Ozpin. You're playing it safe with the maidens, but it isn't working, and it certainly isn't anywhere near safe. Cinder's already hot on Pumpkin's trail, and she would've found her if it hadn't been for me and Qrow throwing a wrench into her plans.

And it wasn't just the maidens he'd endangered.

Ruby was out here, barely hanging on to her own skin. Had Cinder been a bit more skeptical, that might've been curtains for Ruby.

Not that Ozpin would care. I'm not some trusted, valued agent of his like my uncle. I'm just a child that he invested no time in and threw into the firepit at the first sign of usefulness there. If I die, it's merely the loss of a long-shot opportunity to recover Spring.

Ruby could see how expertly he'd played her. By asking a freshly traumatized child who just accidentally ended her uncle's life to double down and publicly murder him, he'd bound her to his cause. Miss Goodwitch was the only one who could exonerate Ruby of her crimes and her guilt. If she quit midway, it would be a life on the run from the law for Ruby, with her family hating her and the police perpetually chasing her.

Ruby hated Salem. She hated Salem for killing villages, for seeing her as nothing more than a tool to give Ozpin grief, for being the evil in the world that so many huntsmen and huntresses died to stop.

But in that moment of seeing Ozpin fail to protect the maidens, fail to protect the kingdoms, fail to protect Ruby, she hated him just the same.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Road Trip

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #802 – Always forgetting your car keys? Get your ears pierced, then hang them as earrings.

Ruby's Note – This tip does not work for rattlesnakes, as they have neither ears nor car keys.

Chapter Text

Despite touching Ruby on her head and shoulders far too many times for Ruby to be comfortable with, Cinder was actually a decent traveling companion otherwise. It may have had something to do with the fact that her survival was tied to keeping Ruby alive (and her only chance at controlling maiden powers lay in having Ruby loyal to her), but she was actually quite decent. Of course, Ruby had to put in effort to not be so annoying, but compared to some of the snot-nosed losers at Signal who didn't care about anything other than their social media and who was dating who, it was much nicer. Of course, she still would have preferred Yang, but it was what it was.

They arrived in Temeria Settlement after two days on the road, meaning that they had up to three days in the village before they needed to turn back and get Cinder back to Beacon. Pumpkin's family didn't live in this village – Cinder had said it was only a crossroads of sorts that had a village built on top of it when someone realized weary travelers might appreciate the chance to stock up and rest the night in a bed. Right now, Ruby and Cinder's goal was to find out what direction she'd turned back in upon being recalled and hopefully where she might be planning to go after going to ground.

Ruby didn't know if tracking Am…oh, she really needed to stop thinking of the Fall maiden by her real name, or she was bound to trip up. Ruby didn't know if tracking Pumpkin down would be good or bad. On one hand, she really didn't want to kill Pumpkin, but on the other, she highly doubted that she and Cinder would be able to. Cinder was good, and Ruby was getting better, but neither were at the stage of taking on superhuntresses.

If she properly wielded the maiden powers of Fall, Salem would probably be impressed. It would essentially solidify her place within the inner circle, but at the cost of an innocent woman's life.

It's unlikely we'll actually find her, so this is all moot. Besides, supposing we do get a heading, Cinder will probably want to plan out an attack with Mercury and Emerald. She's defying Salem's orders, so Tyrian, Watts, and Hazel won't come, but all four of us might just be enough to…to…

Tossing in her bed at one of the town's three inns, she pressed her face deep into her pillow. There lay another problem. Ruby had killed Qrow by accident and Ozpin knowing that he would come back. When Salem had tested her resolve, she'd been lucky that the goal was to fail, but just the same, she hadn't had the nerve to kill Tyrian. Even in the village of Ovais, she'd frozen up when others were doing the killing.

Would Ruby be able to kill a good person in cold blood?

It wasn't something she'd ever thought herself capable of, and certainly not something she'd ever want to be able to do. Yet here she was, with the fate of the world slung over her shoulders. In the end, the choice would come down to her.

She would have to kill eventually. There was almost no way around that, given the company she kept. If Ruby wussed out at an important time and Salem got the Spring maiden, millions would die, and for what? So Ruby could keep her hands clean? She couldn't dare to be that selfish…

Sleep was going to be difficult tonight if she kept weighing these heavy thoughts and trying to make these monumental choices. Cinder had been kind enough to reserve them two separate beds, apparently somehow being socially aware enough that Ruby wasn't ready for that yet.

And that's going to be another problem. If I want to keep Cinder on my side, I might have to…nnnnnggghhhuh. Oh, I hope I don't have to. But…if I'm willing to kill, I should be willing to sleep with someone. After all, it's not like my body's my own anymore, not with a beetle crawling around inside my arm.

Tomorrow, she and Cinder were going to poke around town, looking for a lost relative or teammate or something – they would plan more later. Cinder knew what Pumpkin looked like, so she would take point.

But I know her name – her real name.

Pumpkin. And if I say Amber, I was lost staring into Cinder's beautifully amber-golden eyes and got distracted.

I can do this.

This wasn't a normal settlement. As the buildup of amenities at a common crossroad of multiple paths, it had multiple taverns. Anyone on Remnant knew that the bar of the village was the best place to find information, as it was frequented by every passerby and often connected to the inn, but with four in Temeria, there was no knowing which one Pumpkin chose to travel through.

Cinder and Ruby were going to divide up the taverns amongst themselves, but then Ruby remembered that she was Ruby and told Cinder, so they decided to go together.

I'll keep an eye on her six. The alternative is awkwardly trying to start up conversations with strangers and hoping no one calls me out on being in a bar when I'm below the legal drinking age.

Cinder was currently chatting up a table with a trio of elderly women, the kind who probably saw everyone who entered and exited the bar. It was unlikely that they remembered everyone who passed through here, but the old and decrepit who probably had too much time on their hands and spent it watching the people come through were a good place to start.

Ruby was mostly just staying back at a chair near the westernmost wall (the one with the fewest windows) and watching their exits. Since she had fewer people skills than her companion, Cinder had taken today to be a training exercise for her. In her mind, she was tasked with thinking up everything that could go wrong and planning for it.

Grimm attacks are always a thing, except we work for the Grimm. They'll recognize us, but that doesn't mean it won't be dangerous to be in the middle of one. Police know my face, but it's unlikely they'll be this far out from the main kingdom. The real risk is if someone recognizes me and calls up a nearby huntsman.

It would be far too conspicuous to watch every single person at all times, so Ruby instead kept her eyes on the doors and the bar. She'd seen an old video about bootleggers that had trapdoors hidden beneath where the taps were, so she assumed in her head that there would be one, just in case. If she was wrong, it was no problem. On the odd chance that there was one, and a hunter jumped out of it, she would be ready.

Except this is just practice for me. We're not expecting anyone here to be hostile.

Cinder rose from her seat, thanked the ladies (Ruby couldn't hear, but the gesture was obvious) and made her way back over to Ruby.

"Any luck?"

"None whatsoever. None of them recall having seen her, and they claim to be the most vigilant watchpeople in the area."

Ruby looked over at the three gossips, catching them whispering to one another as they glanced her way. Yeah, that sounded about right.

"On to the next bar, then?"

Cinder nodded. "But first…report to me what you saw in time I was preoccupied."

"Five people left the tavern, only three of whom appeared to be locals. Two people came in, both locals. I didn't see anyone with a weapon, though one of the people who left had a foldable bow at his waist."

"The bow?"

"Wooden, with a notch cut out at the center that allowed it to minimize when folded. It looked homemade – carved, I would guess, but no guarantees."

"What else?"

"The barkeeper was watching every guest that came in, but he paid particular attention to you in particular. Not me as much, though."

Cinder looked down at her chest and sighed. "I think it's not because he's wary of me, Ruby. Alas…the drawbacks of being above average. What else?"

"Uh…there was a guy with a dog. A hunting hound."

Cinder followed Ruby's eyes to the man, whose dog lay curled at the base of his table in rest. "I see. What else?"

Ruby scanned the tavern once again but didn't see anything else. The people coming in had been her main concern, and she couldn't really recall anything else that was noteworthy enough to distract her from them aside from what she'd already mentioned.

"I give up. What did I miss?"

Cinder started walking for the door, and Ruby followed after her.

"Something," she said, her back turned to Ruby. "If you wish to survive in an unforgiving world that is out to get you, you must always assume there's something you missed. Forget this, and you are guaranteed to perish."

Ruby shivered. "And then you're guaranteed to perish…"

Ruby couldn't see Cinder's reaction, but she imagined it was a scowl. As much as she would protect Ruby to the bitter end, Cinder probably despised her when no one was looking. In her head, there were probably a litany of insulting nicknames for the girl who'd usurped her not by skill or training but by preferred eye color.

"…let's not think about that, Little Rose. I've no desire to live in the world if you aren't present."

Since Cinder's couldn't see Ruby either, that gave her the opportunity to cringe. They'd known one another for less than a month. It probably sounded to Cinder like something a lover was supposed to say, but only when it had been earned through trials of love and time. A married couple of many years might have soul bond going so deep that losing one would cost the other their will to go on, but not the pair of huntresses, neither older than twenty. Cinder didn't know Ruby's favorite color, her favorite garden vegetable, her favorite type of spider – they'd spent the majority of their time training, not dating. Actually, aside from empty declarations of love, they hadn't even really dated properly.

"The moral is that you must always feel a healthy dose of fear, Ruby," Cinder explained once they'd stepped out the door of the tavern. The next one was just further down the main path, already in view. "At any point in time, our true natures could be discovered, and our lives jeopardized. You must be expecting that knife in your back any time you're amongst enemies or those who could become enemies."

This is some good stuff, considering who I really am. I really oughta write it down.

"Do you have your aura raised at all times?" Ruby asked.

"Not when I'm among those I trust will not harm me," Cinder answered. "For instance, I have no reason to raise it when in the presence of the queen, for it would offer no true defense. Between her extensive arsenal of magic and the…the power she holds over my own body, she would slay me whether I stood against her or not. With just you or Emerald around, I can also lower it, for I find it incomprehensible that either of you would betray me. Emerald is obedient out of loyalty for my patronage, and you –"

"Out of love!" Ruby said with a smile.

"Not quite," Cinder shot back. "I would say it's more a matter of what is stood to gain."

That surprised Ruby. With all the pretending that the two of them did, the last thing she had expected was an answer that was less wholesome and more self-serving.

"How do you mean?" Ruby asked. "I-I do love you, Cinder.

"I know. But above that, you have far more to gain from my tutelage than from my demise. There is no way turning on me would help you – Salem has already chosen you as her host for the maiden powers, and you can fear no betrayal from me. I could only aid you, never hinder you."

That was…rather honest. Ruby held back her frown, worried that she wouldn't be able to switch to a smile quick enough if Cinder turned around to face her.

Oh, I get it. She's trying to voice aloud the reasons I don't need to stab her in the back. The whole fake-girlfriends is good and all, but she probably wants more assurances than that that I won't tattle to the Grimm Queen over some minor infraction.

And yet…Cinder's case for keeping her around was entirely true. Salem had made it so that Ruby had absolutely nothing to fear from Cinder. Sure, the means of that companionship was a proverbial sword hanging over Cinder's neck at all times, but at the end of the day, Ruby knew exactly where Cinder stood.

"On the other hand, I would never let it lower around any human or Faunus I don't know," Cinder continued, wrapping back to their point about aura. "Around Watts, for he might forget his loyalty to the queen in a moment of lost temper. Around Roman or Neo, certainly – I don't trust either of them."

"What about the other two?" Ruby asked. "Tyrian and that big guy?"

She couldn't remember his name – it had been nearly two weeks since she'd even thought of the tall man, and he'd been recuperating from being bitten by the hound for most of the time Ruby had spent at Evernight.

"Tyrian is loyal to Salem, who has expressed a need for me. However, I would rather not test him."

Ruby nodded in agreement. One of the things she did recall was how he'd protected Ruby from Salem by merely threatening Cinder with his presence on the night of her first dinner in the Grimmlands. She hadn't sparred against him, but she instinctively knew he was too tough to tussle with.

"I also keep my aura up around Hazel," Cinder said. "If he feels himself justified in any action, he is liable to proceed regardless of how logical or illogical it is. I once suffered two broken ribs and a punctured lung because he deemed my methods of completing our shared mission 'too much.'"

Cinder raised finger quote for the last part.

"All I did was take one of the prisoners and…ugh, we have eight more – eight! – and he acted like their death was the end of Remnant."

Yep. Good advice here. Raise your aura against anyone who might ever be an enemy – so for me, I'll never ever drop it for the rest of my mission. No, for the rest of my life.

Ruby nodded. "So you kept your aura up around him after that?"

"No," Cinder answered.

"But you said –"

"I have always kept my aura up around Hazel Rainart. Always. He inflicted those injuries upon me in spite of any defense I could offer with a single blow. Ah. We're here."

They'd arrived at the next closest tavern, but Cinder held out an arm to halt Ruby before she went in.

"I think it would be best if you came with me to investigate."

"I'm right here," Ruby said.

"No, with me to talk to the patrons of the bar."

Ruby felt a sudden spike of the old society anxiety. "M-M-Me? Talk to strangers?"

"I'll lead, but you ought to observe for at least one of the taverns. You're going to need to complete your own objectives eventually, and talking to new people might be a required skill."

"B-B-But the missions…this mission –"

They were already on an unsanctioned hunt for Fall maiden powers. Risking the whole thing on Ruby's ability to chat – not, to improvise and to lie – sounded like the fastest way to get a beetle-shaped hole from one armpit to the other.

"I'm not asking you to actually interrogate anyone," Cinder explained. "Just watch me. I often found it challenging to converse with high class patrons when I worked at the…when I was young, but experience and observation got me over it."

Ruby nodded. That would be much better. She did suppose her people skills could use some work, especially after she'd nearly frozen up on the White Fang mission.

No. It wasn't White Fang, it was just innocent Faunus. I can't let Salem and Cinder play mind games with me.

Faunus.

Not White Fang.

Faunus.

NOT WHITE FANG.

Pumpkin. Pumpkin. Pumpkin.

Ruby bit her lip and followed Cinder through the swinging push doors.

The inside of this pub was far fancier than the previous one. While the other had gone for a more rustic, country feel by covering every square inch in cute old fashioned street signs, singing bass fish heads, and photos of locals, this one seemed more like a restaurant one might've seen in the kingdoms. The chairs were metal seats in place of wooden stools, and they actually had waitresses come around and take orders at tables.

There was still a bar, though, so Cinder took them there. Ruby followed along at the heels of her mentor, taking care not to fondle her weapon this time. She was stressed to the peak after the pep talk, and that may have been Cinder's will and advice, but it wouldn't do for her to go and behead some villager whenever a rooster loudly crowed in the background or a tree fell in the woods.

There were about ten people at the bar, but Ruby recognized one of them from behind as a huntress. She couldn't see the woman's face, but the sword at her waist clearly differentiated her from the normal folks in the crowd. Cinder recognized it too, which is why she made her way to the other side of the pub. Being around the huntress meant not only the chance of being recognized and arrested but also wasting time, since those who hunted Grimm tended not to stick around in villages long enough to have any intel on who others who passed through.

Ruby made sure to keep her face turned away from the huntress as she and her mentor sat down.

"Greetings. A drink for me and my companion, please," she said to the barkeeper.

"Coming right up."

Ruby glanced at the exits, but then turned her face downwards. As much as she might need to flee, the risk of being seen by the huntress was probably greater.

"Excuse me," Cinder said to the patron next to them, a farmer by the looks of him. "My friend and I are looking for the third member of our party. We were supposed to meet in this town, but we weren't…"

Ruby glanced once more at the huntress, making sure she didn't see them. Something was wrong, here…Ruby couldn't tell why this particular woman drew her attention so much, but she was barely able to keep her eyes off of her.

I know her from somewhere…but I don't! I've never seen her before! That dark black hair is –

The huntress, staring down into her own drink, turned to the side and began to speak to the man standing next to her. Ruby hadn't seen him before, being so hyper-focused on the armed threat, but the second she did, she made sure to turn away.

It was her father.

Shit! He's here! He'll recognize me if he sees me.

Ruby bunched up her hood as best she could to cover her face and hair. If Dad saw her and confronted her, Cinder would…

After Qrow, she might expect Ruby to…

Cinder was continuing to talk to the farmer, who was recounting anyone by Cinder description he could recall who'd passed through in the past week or two, but Ruby wasn't listening. Cinder elbowed her once or twice, clearly annoyed that Ruby was ignoring the lesson on how to socialize, but Ruby couldn't care.

The woman who was with Dad looked so much like Yang it hurt. Her hair was black, though, and her eyes perpetually red instead of Yang's semblance-induced rarity. Ruby didn't know much about the woman who had abandoned her sister, having only heard of her and seen a photograph once when she was a toddler, but she could say with certainty that this was Raven Branwen.

What is Dad doing with her?

She was Qrow's sister, and he'd died recently. Maybe they were…catching up?

But how did he even find her? I thought she ran off and left her team!

…except Uncle Qrow worked for Ozpin.

Ruby paused.

Raven had just run off, leaving no explanation of where she was going or why to her Team – Team Stark, that was, who apparently had members neck-deep in conspiracy theory-level work for Ozpin. If Qrow was one of the good guys…maybe Raven had been in on it as well?

She just uncharacteristically ran off one day – that sounds a lot like me. No explanation why, no advanced notice, not arguments or anything…what if Ozpin gave her an undercover assignment and she's been on it ever since?

Fear filled Ruby as the implications sank in. Work with Ozpin might have cost her…her stepmom? Her mother-in-law? Her ex-mom? What was Raven, her father's ex-wife and her half-sister's biological mother, to her? Ruby knew not the term. Anyways, Raven's mission to Ozpin, if there were one, had required her to leave her newborn baby out of the blue, and she was still working, if the fact that she hadn't returned to Dad and Yang and Qrow was any indication.

It was no different for Ruby. Without Ozpin's approval, Ruby wouldn't ever be able to re-enter civilization. Until she had the powers of the Spring maiden, she was stuck where she was now.

And yet, in spite of the realization that she might be spending her entire adult life working undercover for Ozpin, something else was there.

Was it relief, perhaps? Yang's mother hadn't abandoned her…if Ruby's theory was true, which it really seemed to be.

Was it satisfaction? Even if it wouldn't give the lost years back, Ruby remembered that her sister had been anguished for years by the unanswerable question of why. Well, now Ruby had a pretty good idea why.

Was it camaraderie? Raven was in the same boat as Ruby. She wasn't alone in this. Her mother's teammate, her aunt via the virtue of being Ruby's uncle's brother, was with her.

Was it something worse? Ruby didn't know the word for being happy because other people weren't, but the truth of the matter was that she now knew that she wasn't the only one whose life was ruined by Ozpin's manipulations.

I need to go speak to them.

It was dangerous, but so was everything. Cinder was going nowhere with this farmer guy, and Ruby honestly didn't care if they failed miserably or got Amber's social security number out of it. Finding out if Raven might understand, finding someone who Ruby might be able to talk to?

Dad would certainly recognize her, but Roman's words reverberated in her head – weigh every risk. Well, this was riskier than anything, but the nature of a risk was that there was a reward at the end. Getting a lifeline? Worth the risk here, in Ruby's opinion.

The farmer was still talking to Cinder. "…through the Rough Mountains, but there's no guarantee."

"We'll take any –"

Ruby poked Cinder's shoulder.

"Yes, Little Rose?"

"Go outside."

"Hmm?"

"Cinder. Go outside."

Cinder looked down at Ruby the way one might look at a puppy, and Ruby decided that her 'girlfriend' had forgotten exactly how this worked.

Too much time has passed since Salem threatened her, and she's forgotten that it's me she's supposed to be afraid of after being my teacher for so long.

"Cinder," Ruby said sternly. "Go outside. Wait until I come out, and don't disturb me. Be prepared to assist me in combat or fleeing, but nonlethally."

The farmer opened his mouth to interject at that, but Ruby silenced him with a quick glare.

"Do as I say," she said to Cinder, putting force in her voice. "Don't make me bring up what we both know I can bring up."

Cinder stared at Ruby for a second, at first in surprise and then quite uncomfortably. After about a three second pause, she stood up and faced the door. The farmer also decided to take his leave about then, likely seeing the potential for this to turn sour quickly.

"I-I'll just go and –"

Cinder stopped talking when Ruby looked her dead in the eyes, making it clear how little she cared. Instead, she walked off.

Dad and ex-stepmom-in-law once removed still hadn't seen them, evidently not having learned the lesson of paranoia that Cinder had imparted upon Ruby. In Dad's defense, he was probably very engrossed in talking with his ex-wife, and Ruby had been covering her face with her hood and only glancing at him when she was sure he wasn't about to look back.

I need to do this. I know it's probably a mistake, but I need to know.

Ruby hopped off her chair and slowly walked across the room.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Extended Family

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #531 – Is your printer low on ink? Buy a pet octopus! He can change out the cartridges when you're busy.

Ruby's Note – And he'll do it eight times as fast!

Ruby's Note – Cinder just pointed out it would actually only be four times as fast, since you have two hands and the octopus has eight.

Chapter Text

Ruby approached the two of them slowly, making sure to keep her eyes trained on Raven's sword at all times. It was entirely possible that she wasn't aware that Ruby was on her side – heck, it was even possible that she wasn't working for Ozpin at all, though Ruby doubted it.

Dad saw her first. His eyes widened for a second, and he scanned Ruby once over. It hurt to see him look for weapons, but she reminded herself that he was a huntsman first and had reflexes drilled into him that he couldn't turn off for any potential threat. When he saw Crescent folded up behind her back, though, he froze. It wasn't a sudden freezing, one where he tensed up visibly and glared at her. No, this was a confused freezing up. Ruby's father looked at her, then at Raven, then around the bar, unsure of what he was supposed to do. The last time he'd done this had been when Ruby got her period. It was a brief moment where he took a second to two just to confirm that this was really happening, and his brain didn't catch up in time.

Raven followed his gaze to Ruby and surprisingly did the same. It was unlikely that she had been expecting to see Ruby, and she wasn't prepared to react in time. The two elder hunters stared at the younger one for just a moment, all remaining perfectly still. Ruby didn't want to make any sudden movements like throwing her hands up in surrender, lest they react on instinct and think it the first attack. Even moving her lips would be too much, so she waited for them to speak first.

Raven's eyes flicked to Crescent Rose, then to her own sword. It was likely she thought them in some sort of Vacuoan stand-off, everyone about to go for their weapons and ignite a sudden explosion of gunfire and thrown swords, but it couldn't be further from the truth. Despite warning Cinder to be ready, Ruby had no intention of fighting her way out of this one.

They didn't say anything. Ruby waited and waited, but both just stared. At long last, she got fed up with this little game and stepped closer to them.

Raven gripped her sword, but Dad reached out and gripped her hand right back. She shot him a frantic glare, but Ruby was already hopping onto a seat next to them.

"One glass of milk, please," she said, calling to the bartender.

The man, who had been serving others during the stare-down and was resultantly ignorant of the tension, scoffed at her. "We don't serve milk."

"Well, what do you serve?"

"Beer. Mead. Rum."

None of those sounded any good, so she just chose the last one. "One rum, then."

"She won't have a rum," said Dad, scowling at Ruby on instinct. It actually made her kind of happy, because it wasn't a hateful scowl like the people at Beacon had given her. This was a 'Ruby, you should know better than to order alcohol' scowl. Old Ruby had hated the look, associating it with times Dad had treated her like a baby, but now it was literally a familiar face.

"If she ain't drinking, she ain't sitting," said the barkeep, ignoring the glares of all three patrons who desperately wanted him out of their way.

"Here's twenty lien for a tankard of ice water," said Dad. "Just take the money, mate."

He rolled his eyes, but the chip was accepted, and the man turned away to prepare Ruby's water.

"You killed Qrow," said Raven. "I…"

She trailed off. Ruby double checked the door, just to make sure that Cinder wasn't listening in. She could see the woman outside, staring at them all through a window, so she kept her voice down.

"I did kill Qrow, but there's more going on than you think."

"Ruby, you need to come home with me," said Dad. "We can get you help."

"Help." Ruby laughed briefly and accepted the ice water from the barkeeper. "I don't…well, I do need help, but not counseling like you're thinking. Well, I actually probably do need that, but what I need more is a different type of help from you. From both of you."

"What…are you, exactly?" asked Raven. "You look like Summer, but you don't act at all like…" She shook her head and nursed her beverage, peering into it as though her attention wasn't completely fixed on Ruby at all times. "Here I was, expecting a miniature version of your mother, but that's not what you are. What are you, Rose?"

"I'm what you are," Ruby said. "Assuming that you're what I think you are."

She studied the reaction of the huntress, hoping to see a spark of recognition upon realizing that Ruby had also gotten a mission from Ozpin, but nothing showed. If it was there, it was well hidden.

But of course it would be. Raven's been in this for far longer than I have. She must know how to be a spy at this point, or do whatever it is she does.

"We're here looking for maidens," Ruby said, hoping to make it slightly more clear just in case Raven hadn't gotten it. "Pump…eh, hehe, A-Amber was here a few days ago, and we're looking for her."

The two of them exchanged a look that was somewhere between alarmed and concerned. Specifically, Raven looked alarmed, whereas Dad was concerned.

Dad coughed. "Ruby –"

Then, the building exploded.

Ruby had kept her aura up, knowing that Cinder was in the vicinity and couldn't be trusted, so the explosion only threw her about fifty feet into the main road of the town instead of killing her. Dad also survived, but he was blasted the other direction. The rest of the people inside the tavern weren't so lucky.

When she managed to get up to her feet, Ruby saw Raven Branwen floating in the air, aiming her arms out. Fire was shooting out from them in all directions, hitting the buildings indiscriminately.

What is she doing? She's supposed to be one of the good guys.

The buildings caught, and the burning blazes began to spread.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ruby screamed.

"If you're truly a maiden like me, and you serve Salem, you cannot be allowed to go back to her."

"Why…Why the town? These people –"

"No witnesses," Raven said, fire shooting from her eyes just the same as her palms. "All those here shall die today."

Raven aimed a hand at her, but before the lightning struck, Ruby was sprinting for cover behind a flaming building.

She's a…?

Villagers ran screaming out of the tavern that they'd gone to first.

Wait, but Amber is…

The villagers themselves were also on fire. That was why they were screaming. Oh.

Winter in Atlas, Summer in Vacuo, can't be Fall because that's Amber…

"Holy shit," whispered Ruby. In her shock, she tripped over a fallen timber that had been set aflame, but she'd lost Raven when she'd run and was briefly safe. "Holy shit…"

She hadn't expected it to happen so soon. It had to be Spring – there was no other way. The Scarab in her arm screamed in excitement at the prospect of fulfilling its purpose.

Something grabbed her, and Ruby nearly screamed before a hand covered her mouth.

"Damn it, Ruby!" Cinder whispered hardly. "Please try harder to avoid dying – you're surviving for the both of us here!"

She removed her hand when Ruby nodded.

"It's her," Ruby said, pointing to the flames. "It's her. It's her, it's her, it's her! The maiden! She did this!"

"Who is – ah. The Fall maiden!"

"No, it's Raven! She must be Spring!" Ruby said, only to immediately regret it.

"Raven…Raven Branwen?" asked Cinder. "The missing huntress? She's the Spring maiden? Of course, it all makes sense now! When Ozpin's trusted Stark enforcer got the powers, he sent her into hiding to –"

"She's gonna kill everyone!" screamed Ruby, rather upset that Cinder was casually deducing without any sense of urgency.

To be fair, everyone included basically just the pair of them at this point. Raven's fires had set ablaze the entire settlement and much of the surrounding forest, so there weren't going to be any bystanders…or any collateral damage in their upcoming fight. If this was how she kept the secret of her powers alive, by executing all those who saw her…

She can't be working for Ozpin. Damn it. DAMN IT!

Raven really was just a deserter, but then again but it didn't really matter. After all, Ruby had only wanted to trust in Raven because she desired a kindred companion in her long-lasting mission. If that mission ended today, it didn't matter.

"She may not be Fall, but she's a maiden just the same," Ruby said. "We have to get the powers from her into me."

Cinder nodded along. "She dies. Let me lead."

"But…what…" Ruby sputtered indignantly. "The whole point wa–"

"We weren't expecting to find someone today, just a trail. I'm more experienced in combat, and you've still got a long way to go. Worry not – you shall claim her powers. I cannot wield them, Ruby. You know that."

Ruby forced herself to calm down as Raven glared at the entire scene from above. It was in Cinder's best interests to keep Ruby safe when bringing down the maiden, and she needed to remember that. Cinder wasn't seeing this as the brutally climactic conclusion of Ruby's origin story – to her, it was the first step. Maiden one out of four, the unlucky first to be harvested. Ruby needed to keep sight of the whole picture, lest she falter at the very end of her journey.

Cinder grabbed her and pulled her to the other side of the building they were hiding behind as one of the load-bearing logs collapsed.

"Keep moving while we plan. She doesn't know of me or my semblance, which gives us an edge in these flames. She isn't going to leave until she's either burned this entire damnable place to ashes or until we engage her. I'll go in first, using the element of surprise to lower her aura. She'll have no choice but to engage me in swordplay. Assuming she's stronger than me, you'll need to come in with the Scarab or the scythe when she's distracted."

Ruby coughed into her arm on some of the smoke, taking care to not make excessive noise. If Raven was truly so callous that she'd kill an entire village just to…do whatever it was she wanted to do here, then Ruby would have no qualms about ending her life. She'd already killed innocents, so killing a non-innocent wouldn't be all that tricky.

That is to say, making the choice that she needs to be killed won't. Actually getting around to doing the act it might.

"Kiddo?"

Ruby swung around, scythe in hand, and nearly beheaded her father.

"D-Dad?" Ruby squeaked.

"Dad?" asked Cinder, an eyebrow raising.

"What are you doing here, Ruby? What's going on?"

"I could ask you the same!" Ruby shot back. "Why is Yang's ex-mom trying to murder everyone?!"

"We're here because of you, Ruby!" Dad shouted, his voice nearly rising loud enough to hop over the crackling of the flames as they raged. "When Qrow died, Raven wanted to verify that Salem wasn't making her big move. She reached out to me and asked if we could check up on the maidens."

Ruby said nothing, but she did manage to meet Cinder's eyes and verify that she was going to stay quiet about whose side they were on.

Whose side she is on. Just her. I'm not really on that side.

"We were just tracking Amber," Dad explained. "Raven doesn't care about much, but she cares enough to make sure that the world isn't going to end around her, so she came to me. We put aside our differences about…about both of my daughters and agreed to take a look around. Now you!" He pointed to Ruby. "You explain!"

"You still haven't said the most important part!" Ruby pleaded. "Why's she gone crazy?!"

"Because of you!" Dad yelled. "Ruby, you killed her brother! She got it into her head that you might've been working for Salem¸ no matter how much I tried to discourage her! And mentioning hunting the maidens like that to her certainly didn't help!"

Ruby took a step back, stunned at how poorly this was going. "W–"

"Salem?" Cinder asked, cutting off Ruby and preemptively blocking her from saying anything incriminating. "What's Salem?"

Funny – Cinder played the part of manufactured obliviousness far more naturally than Ruby could. Mentally thanking Cinder for saving her butt, Ruby added, "Yeah, who's this Salem person?"

Ruby looked at her father, who'd raised her since birth and knew every little mannerism of hers, including how she lied.

"Oh, shit," said Ruby.

"Oh, shit," said Dad.

"Oh, shit," said Cinder.

"What is going on, Ruby?" Dad screamed, all notions of hiding dying upon the revelation that his youngest was a traitor to the cause.

"She's going to hear us," said Cinder, but it went unnoticed and ignored.

"I have my reasons!" Ruby screamed right back. There was no point in denying the truth when it was so blatantly out there for them all to see. "You need to trust me!"

"Salem is evil, Ruby!"

"I…argh, it's not so simple, Dad! I told you before!"

"Can we please focus on the maiden who's about to kill us when she hears you two screaming?"

"We need to get out of here!"

"No, Dad, what I need is to kill Raven!"

That got Dad to shut up, except shutting him up wasn't exactly the goal here. Ruby hadn't meant to phrase it like that, as though her goal was to end a life in cold blood. True or not, hearing Ruby say things like that after she'd killed Qrow and Ozpin probably only made Ruby look even more unhinged or power-hungry.

Ruby's tongue tied up as her father looked at her with a mixture of emotions, none of which were pleasant. "I-It's not –"

"This needs to end," he said.

Dad took a step towards Ruby, and Cinder was on him in a flash.

"NO!" Ruby cried.

Surprisingly, she didn't hurt him. She didn't even attack him, instead placing her in between the two relatives and blocking the father from advancing with a hand.

"Sir, I don't know what the issue between you and your daughter is, but I can assure you that whatever problems you have pale in comparison to the fact that a trained maiden currently wishes to kill us all."

"S-She…I didn't know she was…"

"That's fine – we weren't expecting Spring to be here either." Cinder sighed. "Look, our alignments don't matter right here and now. I swear by my aura, all that matters to me is that Ruby is kept alive. The only sure way to protect her is to unite. Do you concur?"

"I…I do." He nodded hesitantly. "But after that –"

"Let's not focus on 'after that' while we're still far 'before that,'" Cinder said, drawing her swords and peeking out from behind her cover. "I assume you're a huntsman?"

"I am, but I haven't been in the field in a while. Still, I know how Raven fights."

Cinder nodded. "Stick with me. I'll keep the flames off of you with my semblance, and we can split her in close combat. Ruby will provide cover fire with that sniper of hers. Stay behind me until she descends."

Dad didn't look comfortable at the company Ruby was keeping, but he nodded anyways. "Ok. I'm ready."

Ruby hid in the wreckage that was still smoldering enough to produce smoke, thus keeping her from Raven's sight. The Spring maiden was floating above the village, high enough to keep an eye on the surrounding forest. If Ruby or any of the others tried to run, Raven would see them from high up and could blast them into last year.

She's serious about no one witnessing her using the powers. This must've been why Salem and Ozpin both couldn't find her for so long.

It was tempting to take a few shots from her hidden position and whittle away Raven's aura, but Cinder's plan was sounder. Ruby wasn't yet a fighter on the adults' levels, and it would be a mistake to pretend she was. Dad had sparred with Ruby and Yang many a time, and he'd yet to lose, even when they teamed up.

Let's hope Cinder and Dad are better at team-ups than Yang and me, and Raven is worse than Dad.

Ruby cringed at the logic she'd just tried to apply to that comparison.

Let's hope we win. There, that's better.

An arrow flew up to Raven, but it bounced off an invisible shield. The maiden's attention was caught, though.

"Raven Branwen!" said Cinder's voice. Ruby couldn't see her due to the burning cabins in between them, but she could still watch Raven's response as she floated above it all.

"…who are you?"

"I am the woman who's going to kill you."

Raven lifted a hand and shot down a stream of fire. Nothing blocked the part of the stream Ruby could see, and for a second she worried that they had underestimated just how powerful their enemy was.

Her fears dissipated at the sound of Cinder's voice. "Is that the best you've got?"

Raven snarled and flew down closer, dodging an arrow as it shot her way. The sound of clashing metal filled the air shortly after she disappeared from Ruby's view.

I need to be able to see, to know when to strike.

Slipping from burning building to building, Ruby inched closer a few steps at a time. The sounds of the swordfight were enough for Ruby to be able to keep at a distance, safely out of sight.

"Taiyang! You traitor!"

"You're trying to kill my baby! You're the traitor!"

Ruby couldn't hear Dad's punches, but his enraged banter with Raven was probably loud enough to catch the ears of their old neighbors in Patch.

"She's chosen her side! With the enemy!"

"The enemy? Tough talk coming from someone who's kept the Spring maiden away from us for over a decade."

"Grow up, Tai! Summer's brat is lost to you!"

"Leave it to you to give up on a daughter too early."

"ARGGGH!"

A blast of light filled the sky, and the sound of wood splintering came from the fight. Ruby peeked out from around the corner to see a Dad-shaped hole in a wooden wall of one of the few buildings that still stood. Cinder had engaged Raven in melee, but she didn't seem to be holding her own very well.

"And you? What is your goal here?"

Cinder had no response.

"To survive? Or do you wish to claim my powers?"

Again, Cinder said nothing, only blocking Raven's katana with her own blades. She was blocking most of the more dangerous hits, but every second was that much more ground lost to the maiden, who was cheating in the fight by using lightning and ice to give herself the advantage. The fires of the burning settlement might not have hurt Cinder, but if she found herself with her back to the wall, Raven would kill her using her superior swordsmanship alone.

It's not time yet, but I need to intervene.

Ruby lined up the scope of Crescent Rose, aiming directly at Raven's legs. Trained hunters tended to protect their head, neck, and center of mass preferentially to avoid fatal injuries, so if Ruby wanted to damage Raven enough to give Cinder the advantage in the upcoming fight, she would need to aim elsewhere.

The second she pulled the trigger and watched the hit, she dipped back behind the cover of the burning building and ran as fast as she could with her semblance. Raven might've been able to follow after her in a single fight, but Cinder was keeping her too busy to chase the stray sniper shot back to its point of origin.

When she was on the entire opposite side of the fight, Ruby lined up another shot at Raven and cautiously took it. Her instincts told her to push, and she took two more shots from the same spot before running away this time. Cinder was now fighting to prevent herself from being killed, and Raven was taking no damage apart from what Ruby got on her.

As Ruby ran from hiding spot to hiding spot, she desperately tried to think up other ways to turn the battle in their favor. Dad was somewhere, but finding him would mean stepping away and leaving Cinder to her fate. Continuing to snipe from afar wasn't working fast enough, and if Ruby joined the fight head on, Raven would cream her. One measly month of training was all that separated her from an above-average combat school student.

I could try the beetle trick I used on Roman, but I'd need access to her mouth, and that also means getting close. Plus, her aura is up, and it only worked because his was down.

Would stealing the maiden powers directly work? Probably not while Raven was still fighting, or Cinder would've told her to start with that. The beetle's purpose was to ensure that the transfer went to Ruby, not to instantly destroy an opponent. Raven, with her sword, could just cut Grubbie in half before she lost much power.

Maybe…Maybe…

If Ruby risked everything, and she meant everything, they might win this.

If she charged in headfirst and slammed everything she had into Raven with no regard for her own safety or ability to steal the maiden powers, Cinder might be able to overpower an injured Raven. Then, when both Ruby and Raven were unconscious, Cinder would be smart enough to critically injure Raven without killing her, maybe breaking her legs or something while knowing that Ruby could seize the maiden powers at her leisu–

Something struck her from behind. If Ruby hadn't been practicing extensively at spreading out her aura, she might have gone unconscious from the hit. Instead, her own aura dropped…a lot. Too much to go through with the plan she'd just come up with.

"Dad? Why are you –"

Her father swung the plank of wood at her again. "You need to come with me, one way or another."

"Cinder –"

"– is part of a cult dedicated to bringing death and devastation to the kingdoms. Let her and Raven kill one another." Dad swung the wooden board again, missing Ruby when she ducked out of the way.

This wasn't a winning battle. With Dad on their side, maybe. Without him, possibly. Against him, no way.

Ruby backed away from her father, but she was between him and the fight with Cinder and Raven, so every step away from him meant one closer to them.

Dad lowered the plank and held out a hand to Ruby, but he kept walking towards her. "Ruby, whatever you've done, whatever happened with Qrow, I'll protect you from it. I'm not trying to take you to jail or an asylum, I just know that you probably see Salem as the only option for a wayward huntress far from home. But it's not! You can come home, Ruby. I know you think you can't, but you can."

"I can't!" Ruby hissed, painfully aware that she was nearly visible to Raven. Only about two more steps and she would be out from the cover of what used to be an alleyway but was not a smoking hunk of charred wood.

"You can!"

"You don't understand, dad! There's…"

Dad rushed forward, and Ruby stumbled back into the center of the village just in time to watch Raven knock the sword out of Cinder's hands.

Dad was going to take her back from her mission and try to convince Ruby to either reform or live the rest of her life on the run.

Raven was going to kill Ruby and continue to hold the Spring maiden powers, endangering Remnant with their insecurity.

Cinder would help Ruby complete her mission, albeit unwittingly and unknowingly.

Ruby chose Cinder.

Dad got in too close, and Ruby kicked him in the stomach from the ground. He'd clearly never expected his darling daughter to turn on him so viciously, and the surprise attack caught him off guard.

Ruby scrambled to her feet and tore out her scroll as Raven raised her sword. Before she could bring it down, Ruby screamed, "WAIT!"

Raven didn't wait, and Cinder's left eye disappeared with a glint of steel, a shimmering shattered aura, and a spray of blood. As much as she may have disliked Cinder, she was still a person, and a person who'd been on Ruby's side for the past while now, so seeing her suffer like that shook Ruby.

As Raven drew up her sword for the finisher, Ruby tapped the button on her scroll.

"WATTS!"

The device responded to the screamed name. "Ah, young Lady Rose. What can I–"

"The Spring maiden! It's Raven! Tell Salem!"

Watts was actually in Atlas, as Ruby recalled, but Raven didn't know that. Having her identity revealed actually gave Raven pause, if only for a moment. She turned around, her eyes blazing with fire and rage, but Ruby was already gone. The second Raven's head had begun to turn, she'd dropped the scroll and ran behind Raven's back in her blind spot, keeping out of her direct line of sight at all times. Sprinting over to Cinder with her semblance, she grabbed hold of her arm.

With one hand on her scythe and the other on her half-blind ally, Ruby ran straight through the fires of the flaming village and into the burning woods beyond.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Underling

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #706 – Can't remember Planck's Law of Blackbody Radiation? The equation, B(V,T) = 2*V 3 /(e^(v/T)-1)), can be remembered by this simple pneumonic:  B everages  V iewed  T hrough  two  V oluminous  cube s  e xperience  V iolent  T hrusting  Minus One .

Chapter Text

It would be to Ruby's eternal shame that she only remembered Raven was gunning for everyone, including her dad, after she'd ran about a mile into the forest.

Still, she wasn't yet necessarily out of time, and as much as she might've said otherwise to Goodwitch, she was willing to compromise her mission to protect her family.

"Stay here," she said as she gently set down an injured Cinder. "You can protect yourself from the flames with your semblance."

"No, I can't, my aura is – Ruby, you can't go back!" Cinder screeched. She tried to rise up from the forest floor, but one of her legs looked like it might've taken a decent hit during the fight, and she fell back down. "You can't claim the powers if you're dea–"

It was too late to hear whatever Cinder was saying, because Ruby had already run off. It didn't matter, though – any warning Cinder might've given her about the claiming of the maiden powers was irrelevant, since that wasn't why she was going back.

The village was still aflame when she returned to the outskirts for a peek. It wasn't confidence that brought her back but desperation, so she didn't run headfirst into the meatgrinder.

If I die, Dad dies too. I'm not going to throw my life away. I can still save him and do my mission. I can still have everything.

Her advantage was that Raven wasn't expecting her to return. The villainess would surely be on her guard, but after all that effort Ruby had gone through to escape, she would have to have been a fool to return.

And a fool she was.

This was the second village she seen massacred in the same week, but she wasn't nearly as distraught by this one. Ovais had been her fault, and she'd had the entire airship ride over to worry about it. Here, the town was standing one second and gone the next. It disappeared so rapidly that the sensation was more like thinking she'd just left the town than knowing it was forever destroyed.

There was too much smoke for her to see through from this angle. Ruby sped around to the other side of the village, hoping to get a better view.

Where was he? There was no way Dad had run away in that short time, and Raven had declared any witnesses' lives void, so hiding was probably the answer. That was going to be an issue…

Except this was her dad. Raven might have known him once, but she hadn't lived with him for the past fifteen years.

"DAD!" Ruby called out loudly, knowing that Cinder must've been cringing from afar. "MEET ME BEHIND THE PLACE YANG ACCIDENTALLY LIT ON FIRE WHEN SHE WAS TWELVE!"

The doctor's office. Raven would have no way of knowing that, and assuming that it was still recognizable, that was where Dad would be meeting her. Villages like this tended to have healers or medics, but Dad was surely smart enough to read between the lines.

Ruby sped off, making three full circles around the village to lose any tail she might've had. She recalled having seen the healer's shop when she and Cinder had come in, and it was one of the few places that couldn't directly be seen from the main road of Temeria. It had been a relatively large healer's shop, given that any injured travelers in the nearby area would all congregate here, so it was probable that he'd seen it as well.

The wait was just barely bearable, and Ruby found herself flinching at every creak. As the fires burned, more smoke filled the air, making visibility even worse, but they were slowly running out of fuel as time went on and less unburnt wood remained, meaning that the noise level was going down. That meant that Ruby would be safe as long as she stayed silent, but only if she stayed perfectly silent.

I announced my presence, so Raven knows I'm somewhere here. If I stay put for too long, she'll eventually hunt me down and get me.

C'mon, Dad, hurry!

After some unknown number of minutes that felt like a million but probably wasn't, Ruby poked her head out from behind the healer's shop.

Dad was nowhere to be seen.

Ruby cursed under her breath. Stupid Dad – not listening to her! It was all his fault. It had to be, because the alternative was that she'd left him behind and he'd been…Raven had…stupid Dad! He was really being difficult right now! That idiot!

She took care with each and every step, fearful that it might be her last if it wasn't soft enough. Inching her way around the side so she could peek out at the front door of the shop, she scanned the smoky ruins of a once bright and lively town for her father.

Still nothing – argh! Where was he?

Maybe he really hadn't seen the healer's shop on the way in…that was always a possibility.

Ruby drummed her fingers against her hip as she weighed her options. The longer she spent looking for Dad, the greater the risk there was to Cinder, whose broken aura and failing semblance wouldn't protect her if the forest fire caught up to her. Plus, if Ruby was discovered, there would be no escape for anyone. Raven didn't need to kill her, she just needed to somehow inhibit Ruby's speed semblance, which included inflicting a broken leg or a shattered aura. As long as Ruby couldn't flee her two allies away at lightning speed, the rapidly spreading fires were guaranteed kills on them all.

I won't abandon my dad. If I need to, I can run through the village at superspeed and go over every square inch of ground in less than ten seconds. There's no way Raven would be able to react that fast, let alone catch up to me and hurt me.

The only remaining question was how long Ruby would wait before doing this last ditch maneuver. Dad clearly wasn't coming to her meeting point, and –

Wait. He's hasn't…abandoned me, has he?

It was inconceivable that he'd been killed, but Dad was certainly really upset with Ruby when she'd left. The last thing she could remember was kicking him in the stomach to get him off of her. Was that the straw that broke the Nuckelavee's back?

Had he truly given up on her?

Ruby laughed to herself. Salem's plan to make me go crazy must nearly be working if I'm starting to think stuff like that. Dad would never, ever leave me behind, not in a quadrillion years.

There was no more time to wait. Dad's life was on the line, and Cinder had no means to defend herself back where Ruby had left her. Getting down into a crouching position, Ruby readied herself to zoom around town in the blink of an eye.

Before she launched, something caught her eye.

…close…

Was that writing on the ground?

Yeah, it was! Just in front of the healer's shop, there was a brief message drawn in the soot on the ground. Ruby hid slightly behind her cover as she read the words on the ground.

Her semblance is portals to close friends (me, not you).

Raven won't hurt me. I'll be fine.

Don't trust Salem.

Well, Ruby thought to herself. Those are all some pretty good words of advice.

Flaring up her aura to protect her skin, she turned around and fled into the burning forest.

"Ruby."

Ruby ignored Cinder. There was too much on her mind right now to heed the words of her injured ally. Dad, the Spring maiden, another village being torn down…

"Ruby, you need to put me down. Do you even know where you're running?"

She'd carried them Cinder far for the past half hour. She could carry them a little bit further.

"Ruby, please! My eye…"

She'd found the Spring maiden, and she'd lost her. If her goal was to claim those powers as her own, how was she supposed to when Raven was so good at fighting?

And Dad…Dad probably didn't know what to think. He still cared enough about Ruby to leave her that message (which she now realized he'd probably had to leave to avoid them meeting up and Raven getting the drop on them both). He also hadn't yet lost hope in Ruby being a good person, or he would never have mentioned her worrying about himself being safe.

But he probably thinks I'm working with the enemy.

It's okay, though. It'll all go away when Goodwitch exonerates me and I go home.

"Ruby," Cinder breathed. "Please."

It took all her willpower to slow down. Ruby had to force herself to breathe; that was how choked up her throat was.

When Cinder had been set down, she cleared her throat. "So. This clearly didn't go the way any of us were hoping."

"Ya think?"

Cinder recoiled at the bite in Ruby's normally pleasant tone, and so did Ruby. She was getting far too worked up about this.

I didn't win, but that doesn't mean I can just be angry. In fact, it's the opposite – I'm going to have to be undercover for a lot longer, so I need to maintain my act.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "What's going to happen? What do we do? You know this better than I."

"There's a lot to do. Firstly, we disobeyed Salem's orders, and Watts knows."

"There was no other way to –"

"I know, I know," Cinder said firmly. "But that doesn't change the fact that he will tell our queen, and she will be displeased."

Ruby sighed deeply. Raven's main goal had been to kill minions of Salem and ensure that none saw her use the maiden powers, and throwing a wrench into the second of those had been enough to stall her briefly. It had been the best course of action at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight, it would make their lives a lot more difficult. Specifically Cinder's life, since she had been the one to encourage them to come.

I don't regret getting out of there alive, but that doesn't change the fact that I forced myself to interact with Raven, and she'll likely be punished for it.

"You said first. What's the second bit?"

"My cover as a Beacon student. Would you father be in a position to report it?"

Dad was a teacher at Signal. It was unlikely he would be around Beacon very much. Ruby relayed this to Cinder.

"Is it possible he'll go there to report what he saw today?" she asked.

"I don't think so," Ruby answered. "If he did, Beacon and any people in Ozpin's circle of trust would probably send huntsmen and huntresses to bring me down. His goal here today was to protect me, not to get me hunted down and killed."

"He might not mention us, though. My cover would be safe, then, but we have to assume that Beacon now knows the location of the Spring maiden," Cinder said.

Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but she wasn't sure what to say. If Salem thought that Ozpin's forces knew of Raven, it was likely she would accelerate Ruby's mission.

That would mean I get home sooner.

But if Salem didn't find out that Beacon was hunting for the same woman she was, it would be more likely that Beacon could get to her first. That meant a safer world in general, even if Ruby couldn't be the one to bring it about.

"The first order of business is to get me back to Beacon," Cinder said. "I'll make up some cover story about the eye…say I was out hunting Grimm solo and got overwhelmed."

Ruby looked at Cinder, wondering what eye she meant only to realize upon seeing Cinder's face that Ruby had entirely forgotten about her being half blinded. The adrenaline from both the fight and its aftermath had been enough to push that major tidbit to the back of her mind and then out of it entirely.

"After that, we'll contact Salem. She'll almost certainly recall me and…" Cinder winced and let out an unsteady breath. "Actually, perhaps I don't need to make up some lie to Beacon. If I'm not –"

"Keep up your cover at Beacon," Ruby declared authoritatively, doing her best impression of the most in-control person she knew – Cinder herself, ironically. "I won't let Salem kill you."

"Ruby, we both clearly heard her –"

"I'm not going to beg or plead for mercy. I know what has to be done, Cinder. Leave Salem to me."

Cinder clearly didn't believe her, but she nodded in agreement anyways. From her perspective, she was almost certainly going to be executed for mutiny.

"And when you survive…" Ruby began, stressing her sureness, "…you won't mention the presence of my father. You and I found the Spring maiden, flushed her out, and lost a fight to her. Nothing else."

That was a good enough excuse for why they wouldn't tell Salem that Beacon knew of Raven's hidden powers.

Now that the immediate pain of losing Raven right out of their clutches was passing, Ruby could breathe enough to think clearly, and she knew what her next steps were.

She hadn't been thinking of the long term enough. She didn't just get to walk up and kill the most experienced maiden in the world. If Raven was to be brought down, Ruby would need something to balance out her immense power and years of experience mastering it. That something…the best something to counter one maiden's powers were those of another.

I'm sorry, Amber. Or perhaps the Summer maiden…whichever Salem sends me up against first. And I'll need all the strength I can get my hands on if I'm going to win that fight.

It wasn't a single massive leap. It wasn't even a series of short hops. Ruby had to build the stepping stones herself if she was going to cross the river and come out on the other side alive.

It was all going to work. Ruby could still make this work.

Ruby laid low at Roman's apartment while Cinder went back to Beacon and got her eye treated as best they could. The thief seemed to recognize that things had irreversibly changed, and he'd been noticeably silent about Cinder's disfiguration. Ruby spent most of the time in her space, rehearsing her forms and quietly contemplating the incident with Raven.

Much of it was just going over what she'd seen of the older woman's fighting style in her head. The ultimate battle in Ruby's mission, no, in her life, was going to be with Raven, and she needed to start preparing herself as soon as possible.

Three days after Temeria fell, Cinder returned to the apartment to collect Ruby. Tyrian was with her, and he escorted the pair of them to the airship Ruby had taken to Vacuo.

The scorpion Faunus was smiling giddily the entire walk over, seemingly enthused by Cinder's loss of an eye. Cinder, to her credit, managed to ignore his near-perpetual staring. Ruby tried her best to do the same.

The ride was silent. Cinder's composure cracked when they came upon the darkened shores of the Grimmlands, and her hands began to shake. Tyrian's pleasant smile might've been mistaken for comfort if Ruby didn't know that he was just excited by what he assumed was an impending execution.

I'm not going to let Cinder die. I still need her.

They reached the Evernight Castle before the sun set that evening.

This appeared to be a bigger deal than most deals, since the entire rest of the conclave was waiting for them when they stepped out. Salem hadn't even waited for the trio to exit the docks, instead choosing to meet them there with Watts on her back left and Hazel to the back right.

Cinder and Tyrian knelt, and Ruby found herself doing the same.

"Your grace," Ruby said calmly, first. The other villains behind her did the same.

"How peculiar this feels, for us all to gather under such ignoble circumstances."

She was right in that it did seem particularly peculiar, for Ruby found herself and her side to be a mirror image of Salem. Both had a pair of her minions behind them, and both were standing firmly in spite of the other.

The three stood, and Salem's neutral expression seemed to grow even more neutral, if that could be a thing.

"You see, I find myself poring over my memories, and yet the time in which I ordered Cinder to endanger your life by seeking out and confronting a maiden without proper qualifications, permissions, or preparation continues to elude me."

"I made a mistake," Cinder said, her voice shaky. "Your grace…"

Ruby noticed the human woman's expression tighten, and the arm in which she housed her Scarab clenched up into a fist.

"You made no mistake," Salem said evenly. Despite keeping her voice steady, Ruby could tell that there was an undercurrent of rage from minor details in the way Salem presented herself. She neither twitched nor swayed, as she was intentionally forcing herself to remain still – a sign of rage that was only just barely contained. She was about to explode.

Cinder squeezed her eyes tightly. "My queen, I-I…"

"There was no mistake," the Grimm lady repeated. "A mistake is an error in judgment. You misbehaved intentionally, knowing full well the cost of your actions should they be revealed. And now here we are." She raised a hand, letting it hang ominously in the air. "Am I dealing with a petulant child, disobeying her guardian's demands in a bid for attention? Or does this mark the beginning of your failed ascent to greater heights, in which you would have seized my throne had you and Rose emerged successful?"

"M–"

Salem snapped her fingers, and Cinder roared in agony, arm thrashing forward and backward inhumanly like a pool noodle in the hands of a little boy.

"Those were rhetorical questions, dear," she said over the screams. "I don't care for a dead woman's answers."

"Do you care for a living woman's answers?" said Ruby.

"Not particularly," said Salem, a faint ghost of a smile on her face. "The discovery of the Spring maiden does not excuse willful disobedience, Ruby, nor will any bargain or plea you intend to make on Cinder's behalf for leniency."

"I'm not asking for leniency."

Ruby had to shout to be heard above Cinder's yelling. Blood was now dribbling down her lips, with some larger globs being fitfully coughed up.

"This wasn't the first time Cinder attempted to subvert your will," Ruby said. "This is just the first time she's been caught."

That stopped Cinder's agony, though the look Salem shot Ruby indicated it wouldn't be for long. Cinder didn't actually seem angry at the accusation, though she didn't seem to be feeling much of anything other than lingering pain at the moment. Her limp body slumped to the floor, still conscious.

"Do go on," Salem said. "I've no idea where this route shall take us, but I'm most curious what lies at the conclusion."

"You wanted me to be your destroyer," Ruby said. "And you told Cinder to train me. But she attempted to sway my loyalty from you to her by making me her underling, and by tempting me with a fake romantic relationship. She wanted the maiden powers for herself, so she tried to make me belong to her."

Cinder looked up at Ruby, horrified, but Ruby placed a foot on top of her head.

Then, she kicked her down into the ground, hard.

"It's my fault, your grace, because I allowed it. I needed her lessons, but I don't think I do anymore. Tyrian and Hazel can train me."

Salem raised an eyebrow.

"Because I still have need of Cinder," Ruby said, answering the question before it could even be said. "But not as a mentor. From now on, she'll be my underling. My bitch. She'll answer to me, not to you. Emerald, Mercury, Roman, the White Fang – any of her operations in Vale now belong to me."

Ruby waited for Salem to respond, but she didn't. With nothing else to do, she continued to outline her plan.

"Raven kicked both of our asses. If I'm ever going to kill her, I'm going to need to get a lot stronger…and if I understand our goal correctly, I eventually shall need to climb said insurmountable hurdle. Maybe months from now, maybe even years down the line, but I will need to kill the Spring maiden eventually, and I can't. Not now, not as I am."

"Cinder won't be enough to change that," Salem said. "And besides, Tyrian or Hazel could assist you."

"You're wrong, Salem."

Ruby let the word linger in the air. Salem wanted her to become a monster, and a monster didn't defer to the other monster – it challenged. She might obey further along, but this battle of wills wasn't the time or place for manners or respect.

"I have to be the one to do it…to do everything. Raven had portals for her semblance, meaning she can get away from anyone or anything. With my speed, only I could follow her through her portals before she closes them. It has to be me that kills her, and that means I need to become stronger than the Spring maiden."

Ruby gestured to the woman beneath her boot.

"Cinder has a legitimate presence in Vale. She can continue to search for the Fall maiden out of Beacon, but for the sole purpose of bringing that information to me when it is recovered. Then, she can offer herself as aid to me when the time comes to kill the bitch. With the power of the Fall maiden, I could fight Raven on equal grounds. This is the only way."

Pressing down, she held Cinder's face into the dirt and solid stone of the landing bay on which they all stood.

"She'll redeem herself by her actions. And don't you worry about me going easy on her – she forced herself upon me multiple times, and I had no choice but to accept it then, so you can bet that I won't be letting her off the hook."

Hazel scowled at that, and Watts actually had the audacity to silently chuckle, likely more at Cinder's expense as her failures were revealed in front of her many rivals. Tyrian looked like he was ready to spring into murderous action at any moment, but Ruby was no longer afraid of him. Much like Roman had been replaced by the Tyrian as the most frightening thing in Ruby's life, Tyrian himself had been usurped by Raven.

Ruby had seen the light. She now knew what was supposed to come next.

"I need to start stepping up my game." The words flowed freely from Ruby, for they were entirely true in all ways, both in cover and out of it. "You've been easing me into this, sending me on simple missions to start, but every moment in which I'm not closing in on the powers of the maidens is a moment wasted. While Cinder finds my Fall maiden, I'd ask that you send me on all combat missions from here on out to get stronger the fastest way possible. I'm ready, your grace."

Ruby removed her foot from the back of Cinder's head and knelt down in front of Salem, taking care to avoid the blood that was pouring out of the downed huntress' mouth and nose.

"I only request the opportunity to do what you've asked of me. Let me be your dark maiden, my queen."

Coming Soon – Ruby's New Life

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #105 – To deal with a rat infestation, oil the inside of a tall cup and put a slice of cheese and a nail at the bottom. The rat will crawl into the cup to lick up the oil and stab itself on the nail. Then you can have a delicious rat, nail, and cheese smoothie without any hassle or prep work.

Chapter Text

It must've been difficult for Cinder. Once, she'd been on top of the world, an heir apparent to the most covetable powers in existence. Salem had the upmost trust in her, to the point that she'd been sent alone to Vale with the responsibility of conquering it on her own.

Then, Ruby appeared on the scene.

Now, the sad little heap that had once held its head high was flying off to Vale with instructions to report in to Ruby weekly with progress reports on her tracking of Amber. If she didn't provide suitable results on a regular basis, the same girl that had replaced her and saved her would hand her over to Salem.

Externally, Ruby had taken the fall of Fall and used it to her advantage, snagging a minion of her own for the first time to make her queen proud. Since Cinder had tried to manipulate her before, she was more than happy to humiliate her and put the vile woman in her place – beneath Ruby.

In the privacy of her own head…Ruby didn't know.

Cinder's gross kisses had bothered her, a lot, but they hadn't truly enraged her to the point that she would subjugate Cinder so thoroughly. She wasn't lying about needing Cinder to find Amber, and that was the driving factor behind her making such a big deal of hurting Cinder.

In fact, it was out of mercy that Ruby had kicked Cinder's face in. After such disobedience, Salem would never have let Cinder live if life itself wasn't worse than death. To a proud, ambitious woman like Cinder, being made the underling of a minion was equivalent to torture, and Ruby had also been forced to let Salem inflict some conventional torture on Cinder, just to assuage her bloodlust.

Did Ruby hate Cinder? She was certainly an antagonist to everything Ruby stood for, and any kindness she'd shown Ruby had been forced under the literal threat of death, but hatred…

Hatred was for Tyrian, who killed recklessly and seemed to derive an unhealthy degree of personal amusement from it.

Hatred was for Raven, who betrayed her family and used her powers to torment innocent people who'd done nothing wrong.

Hatred was for…who'd sent Ruby to…who'd asked her to go willingly into the arms of…

Best not to go there.

This entire thing seemed a lot more manageable now that Ruby had laid out a plan and was prepared to stick with it. It might have appeared to be an impossible mission at first, but that was only because she had no clue where to start. Now that Raven had revealed herself and shown just how immensely powerful she was, Ruby knew what she had to do – chase after that with everything she had.

Once again, she was being sent on a mission with Tyrian, but it was to Atlas rather than Vacuo this time around, and Ruby's role in it was to be far more active.

"With our Valean operations…diverging from the original plan, the White Fang's presence there is no longer beneficial to our long-term goals," Salem had explained. "They were originally going to be participating in the fall of the academy. However, the Fall maiden being under our control was essential to the plan, and one of the main goals was the death of Ozpin. As we are both behind and ahead of those objectives, and since Cinder's time shall be spent tracking the maiden rather than fomenting mayhem, the academy's collapse must be indefinitely delayed."

Ruby had held back a relieved sigh at that – Yang was safe, and it was because of her. So many times on this mission, she'd been forced to take part in evil actions and ignore chances to do good. Getting to actually save lives without having to stress over whether or not it compromised her cover felt really, really swell.

There're going to be ups and downs, and that's life. Maybe more downs than ups, but I'll just have to savor the victories when they come.

Ruby kept these thoughts to herself, since Salem was under the impression her young charge was an up-and-coming anarchist. "What shall I be doing in Atlas with the White Fang, your grace?"

"Their Faunus forces need manpower to fulfill their goals of bringing their issues to the world stage's center, and I promised them aid via Cinder. I fulfill my promises. Their leader, a…'spirited' young man by the name of Adam Taurus, has been remarkably understanding, and it is my intention to reward his flexibility in rewriting our old plans. You shall be disguised as a Faunus and sent with Tyrian to fight on Taurus' behalf in Atlas."

Ruby nodded. The White Fang may be something she hated, but there was basically nothing she hated more than that look on Raven's face when she'd ravaged Temeria. Human beings and Faunus were set ablaze by her own two hands for the crime of being in a normal place at an inconvenient time, and she acted like it was spring cleaning.

"Atlas, then…I'll pack my winter coat," Ruby said, rising from her kneeling position. "What's the endgame, here?"

Salem cocked her head slightly. "Endgame? To what do your refer?"

"Just…how is it going to help you? Is this another thing where we're trying to indebt the Faunus to us, or is their work in Atlas benefitting our organization?"

Salem turned away from Ruby and began walking towards the door. Its squishy membrane opened up for her as she approached.

"There is no ulterior motive. I promised assistance to their cause, and I fully intend to grant it."

"B-B-But…"

"As I've told you before, young Rose, I am still a human. While concepts like mercy or sympathy may have been lost to my eternal march, I am not without honor entirely."

Before Tyrian could even open his mouth to waggle that twisted tongue of his, Ruby had told him to stuff it. She was far too busy with her Faunus disguise to deal with his multi-lingual chicanery.

Adam himself knew that his point of contact 'Cinder' was sending some of her 'henchmen,' and that one of them was going to be a human huntress. According to his responses, he didn't care, as long as they were strong enough to fulfill their duties. From the sound of it, Ruby intuited that this Adam fellow was a really swell and accepting guy. However, the average Faunus of the White Fang wasn't so open-minded, so Ruby needed to pretend to be a member of the species herself.

To that end, a disguise had been devised. Ruby, using the Scarab Grimm within her arm, would be able to briefly manipulate the skin around her hand to appear an inky black. She would be calling herself a spider Faunus, for apparently Adam's troops were already familiar with such a trait and would be open to the idea of it being genuine.

The alternative was clip-on cat ears, so…

It was so weird, to look down at her arm and be able to mentally manipulate the color. According to Salem, who had pioneered the visual distortions many eons ago when she had been a pure white, it wasn't actually the skin changing color but thousands of micro-veins beneath it. The Scarab leached Grimm blood, and based on how quickly it diffused into her bloodstream, something scientific happened, and it did some stuff, and…well, Ruby didn't fully understand what was going on inside her body, but it turned her arm black, and she could control it, so that was kinda cool, she guessed.

Okay, it was super awesome, and Ruby was already testing to see how far the effects would go (not very far) and if it could do any other colors (not red, so it didn't matter).

"Was hast du vor, Kind?"

Ruby looked Tyrian's way briefly, then turned back to her arm. "I'm just trying to get the disguise perfected, assuming that's what you're asking."

"Dies ähnelt Blackface. Du ruinierst meine Kultur."

Ruby sighed and did her best to tune him out.

"Eine Warnung vor Adam..." Tyrian stuck out his tongue and waved his finger in a circle around his head. He then went back to normal almost immediately.

"Adam," Ruby repeated. "You're telling me something about him?"

Tyrian nodded, and Ruby swiveled around in her copilot's chair to face him. She supposed that the idly time spent flying to Atlas would be well spent trying to finally figure out how to understand Tyrian.

"Okay, so…then you just went zany for a second, but you went back after that. That means you weren't actually losing your mind, just…hmmm…you mentioned Adam. Is he nuts or something?"

Tyrian nodded, then clapped his hands politely. "Du bist ein Einfaltspinsel."

Ruby smiled back. "Thank you."

She wondered if the others actually knew what he was saying, or if they were like her and just pretended to get it while figuring out most of the messages from context clues. Because, in the end, if only Tyrian spoke crazy, no one would know if you pretended to understand him or not. There was no right answer, and no one could call you out on a misinterpretation.

"Hey, you're a Faunus," Ruby said.

Tyrian looked at her.

"Er, I mean…well, you're with Salem, so that means you don't care about the laws, but most Faunus who are willing to rebel against society are part of the White Fang. Why are you with her…with us, instead of with them?"

"Fleischklößchen. Sie kocht verdammt gut, Ruby." Tyrian pantomimed biting something and patting his stomach.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you just said something dumb."

He shrugged.

"Do you care about…"

Ruby trailed off, and Tyrian turned back towards her with renewed interest. He gestured for her to continue, a relatively pleasant smile on his face for a man so horrifying. "Bitte, bitte."

That meant go on, then. Ruby asked her question. "Do you care about the Faunus? I'm not trying to be mean, but it has never seemed to even matter to you. Every other Faunus I've met have a huge sense of community because they're forced to band together because of the discrimination, and they almost always spend time and live with other Faunus. You spend much of your time with humans…I don't think I've ever seen you express any interest in equality or those kinds of causes. Do you…Do you not do that? Do you not fear being mistreated by humans?"

Tyrian's weapons opened up and pierced the arms of his pilot's chair.

"Niemand macht Tyrian Angst," he said, a ruthless smile of violence on his face.

Ruby shivered. She was fairly certain she understood what that meant.

Telling Salem she would pack her winter coat had mostly been a flippant remark, but Ruby ended up being unironically quite glad she'd brought it. Atlas felt like she'd decided to empty out the contents of a freezer into a kiddy pool and bathe around in them. Never before had she experienced such a frigid cold, not even when the heater had died in December back in their cabin in Patch, where a baby Ruby had spent an entire morning in the cold while Dad hurriedly chopped wood for their fireplace.

Daddy…oh gods, I miss him and Yang and Uncle Q–

No. No, Ruby would focus here. Her daddy still loved her, and he'd shown it repeatedly by trying to help her when last they'd met. At the time, abducting her might've seemed like a bridge too far, but with the benefit of hindsight, Ruby could be rational enough to tell that it was an act of pure love. Dad had no knowledge of her mission, and if Ruby really had snapped and murdered a bunch of people in a crazy rage, Dad would have been risking a lot to try and take her in alive and hide her from the police. The fact that Ruby could literally kill people and he didn't turn on her said a lot.

It would all go away eventually. Goodwitch would tell everyone the truth, and Ozpin would come back and corroborate her story, and no one would hate Ruby ever again. Working with Adam and getting stronger was the first step. With that productive mindset, Ruby trudged through the snow alongside Tyrian to greet the White Fang.

Though she had never seen him before, Ruby could instantly point Adam out. It wasn't the bright hair or the eyepatch (though those certainly screamed main character), but the way he walked past the other Faunus. Everyone stepped aside to make way for him, and he seemed to expect it from the way he didn't hesitate in his step. It was obvious that he was the king here.

"Allies of Cinder. Welcome to the White Fang."

Ruby and Tyrian nodded. The entire camp was watching them, so Ruby didn't risk saying anything for fear that it would be wrong. Body language was much simpler and far less likely to be misinterpreted or come out as a pitiable squeak.

"I am Adam Taurus, the branch commander of Vale. Though, I do appear to be a little far from home."

The crowd of Faunus around them laughed. It was mostly just whichever Faunus had poked their heads out of the thick tents that had been erected throughout the campsite, which seemed to be a rather sizeable number. Ruby figured that most of them were probably either grunts or soldiers, given that only Adam and two Faunus next to him wielded visible hunter melee weapons.

When the laughter died down, Adam spoke. "And I'm sure you have an explanation."

Ruby looked about the camp. Everyone here was Faunus, and many of their traits were particularly visible and attention-grabbing. There were mostly mammalian ears, tails, or claws, but Ruby could count the odd patch of reptilian scales or avian wings and talons. The spider girl she'd ripped off with the arm things couldn't be seen, but there were plenty of Faunus women wearing gloves who it might've been.

Wait…Wait, was Adam expecting her to respond?

She ran over the conversation again in her head. He'd introduced himself, said he was far from home, and said…

Ruby looked at the Faunus again. His arms were crossed, and though he didn't seem to be tensed for combat, he was clearly upset. The brief looks of intrigue from when they'd arrived had all been replaced by insulted stares.

She looked to Tyrian, begging him with her eyes to speak on their mutual behalf.

He chuckled slightly and nodded. "Ich bin nur wegen der Fleischbällchen hier. Antworte ihm selbst, Kleiner."

Ruby nodded at that and looked back at Adam, satisfied that her travelling companion had sufficiently spoken.

The bull Faunus' brow furrowed in frustrated confusion. "What the fuck was that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"W-Wait, you don't understand him?"

"It was gibberish!"

Adam didn't understand Tyrian. That meant…

I'm not crazy!

"Oh thank go– errrr…okay. So, the reason we pulled out of Vale, then." Ruby scratched her forehead. "Right."

She couldn't rightly tell Adam that Cinder had lost favor with Salem, and mentioning that their original goal had been to use the White Fang as an accessory to realize Salem's true desires would be received equally poorly. If Adam knew that there was internal turmoil within Salem's circle, he might lose faith in the ability to deliver. That meant it was time for Ruby to use the old noggin and improve a good excuse.

"Yeah, so…about that…"

"We spent nearly two weeks stealing Dust," Adam butted in, before Ruby could even answer. "I lost many of my best men, only to be informed that your people no longer had any interest in Beacon. Cinder didn't even show respect by informing me in person. One of those useless minions of hers delivered the message – the green haired one."

"Yeah, I can see how that would upset you," Ruby said, stalling for time as best she could while she desperately racked her brains for a good excuse to mollify Adam. "Cinder really dropped the ball on that one, sending Emerald as a messenger."

"I know she did; I just told you. What I don't know is why she felt it was appropriate to do so, and why I should continue to offer her my support after this."

The White Fang Faunus around them were all nodding in agreement, and some of them were holding their guns. To be fair, they had been armed when Ruby had arrived, but now that the general sentiment was turning against her, the weapons seemed far more visible.

He did offer me a lifeline, though, whether he meant it or not.

"If you want to know why it's to our mutual benefit to work together, perhaps a demonstration would be beneficial."

That got a curt nod from Adam, the first sign of approval she'd seen in the entire time. "You were sent to bolster our forces. Demonstrate your prowess in a spar, and our alliance shall stand. Ready whichever of you shall do it."

He turned his back to them and began to speak to his lieutenants.

Diplomacy achieved. Now Tyrian can just curb-stomp Adam, and we can get down to business.

Ruby glanced at the scorpion, who was currently staring at Adam's direction with saliva dripping down from his gaping open mouth.

…or I guess I'll be the one to do it, since Tyrian might just go crazy and murder our point of contact if I let him loose.

"I'll do it," Ruby said. When Tyrian's head sagged, she quickly added, "The whole point of this is for me to grow as a fighter. The best way to do that is to fight."

"Ok," Tyrian said, phrasing the word like a curse. Sulking, he retreated to the outskirts of the ring of people that was slowing forming from the crowd.

Adam seemed to have finished readying up and was now standing opposite the circle with his sword drawn. In a shocking display of stupidity, he had taken off his shirt to fight her bare-chested, revealing his muscles to the crowd and to the icy cold. How the heck was he not freezing his pecks right off?!

Tyrian mentioned this guy was crazy. And that's got to mean something, given that it was Tyrian who said it.

Ruby couldn't help but wonder if it was just a tactic to take away her focus. There could be no benefit to removing his clothing in this weather, and while his nipples might've been frozen enough to be considered edged weapons, it was probably more harmful to Adam than to Ruby.

Was he trying to seduce her, like Cinder? It sounded absurd, and the likelihood that two evil villains would do the same tactic of using romance as a weapon had to be low, but Adam's body was certainly fit. If it weren't Ruby here but some other woman who was into men, he might've gotten an edge by distracting them. Besides, she could think of no other reason for stripping right in front of her.

"Just so you know…" Ruby called out, deploying Crescent Rose with a flourish, "…I'm, like, only fifteen."

Adam's good eye flicked to the side, then back to Ruby. "What?"

"I'm not going to take my top off, it that's what you're hoping for," Ruby said.

"I'm not –! Argh, damn you, trying to distract me like that. You won't play your mind games on me, hu…girl. Let us fight."

Ruby nodded. "Okay, but under no circumstances will we do any sex. Deal?"

Adam snarled at Ruby and charged her.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Scythe

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #144 – Tired of your neighbor's dog waking you up at night with the barking? Flee the country.

Chapter Text

Adam was good – probably better than anyone Ruby had sparred with in her old life. Okay, maybe not Qrow, but all of the other kids at Signal and even Yang would probably have lost time him even if they teamed up.

He wasn't so much fighting her as he was pushing her scythe around the arena with his sword. For every hit she blocked, she was pushed around by the sheer momentum of his unyielding impacts.

"Show me, girl!" he growled, sparks flying as the Dust sword clanged against Crescent Rose. "Show me why!"

Their blades locked, and Ruby leaned forward with her whole body to tilt the barrel of Crescent towards Adam's head. He saw it coming a mile away, but assuming it was just an attempt to blow a bullet into his face, he did nothing to protect himself from the real attack.

When the shot fired right next to Adam's aura, the sound alone was enough to distract him momentarily, and Ruby fled backwards with her semblance almost immediately. Cranking Crescent's chamber to remove the cartridge of the last shot, she fired one at the side of his waist and another at his bare chest in rapid succession.

Adam blocked the second of the two with his sword and let the second ricochet against the aura on the side of his upper leg. Ruby couldn't help but notice a sly grin on his face as he twirled his sword.

He's up to something…

But so am I.

Ruby leapt through the air with Crescent drawn, swapping it into a war scythe as she flew. Adam blocked the quick poke she sent his way, but that was more to keep his blade occupied while she flipped over his head to land behind him. Their steel locked once more when she landed, but now Adam was smiling broadly.

A glint of light on the ground caught her eye, and Ruby chanced a quick kick to his knee to glance downwards. She saw the glowing red circle on the ground, which probably gave her a heads up against whatever Dust or semblance attack he was charging up, but it came at the cost of distracting her for a half second.

Adam punched her directly in the stomach, causing Ruby to lose both hands' grips on Crescent Rose. Spit flew out of her mouth as the heavy blow's shockwave rippled through her body, and Adam laughed mercilessly. He might not've been able to say that she was a human with the crowd listening, but the shine in his eye told her that he was hurting her for one very particular reason.

Ruby dropped to her knees, and Adam raised his sword for a decapitating blow. Ruby raised her aura and desperately reached out for him, but the hit came just the same. There was a brilliant red light as he swung down, and she was knocked right past an opening in the crowd.

She landed on her stomach facedown, groaning in pain. Back in school, it might've garnered cheers to be beaten down so humiliatingly, but this was the real world, and the White Fang was as silent as the grave.

…the grave I'm about to fill…

Adam's footsteps approached her. When they got close enough, she rolled over onto her back.

He scoffed. "You couldn't even –"

…about to fill with Adam's body.

Ruby pulled the trigger of Adam's shotgun and unloaded it as many times as she could before his sword came up.

He'd been so sure of her inferiority that he'd missed several signs of her plan, likely writing them off as 'human blunders.' For one thing, she'd intentionally shot a glancing bullet against his waist. He'd blocked the far more damaging one and assumed the other was a miss, but it nicked his belt and loosened the scabbard on his waist. Only a true weapons-obsessed nerd would have recognized it as a mechshift weapon simply from a single glancing sight, so Ruby considered herself lucky that she counted among that crowd.

The punch that had forced her to drop Crescent Rose gave her a chance to latch a hand onto the shotgun-sheath, and the special attack from his sword (the red glow indicated a semblance; Ruby was curious to learn more about it) had given her the distance she'd needed to ready her attack using his weapon.

Crescent may have been a trusty tool, but sniping wasn't useful in a head on fight, especially against a literal bull of a man who had freakin' huge pecs. Heavy artillery was needed, and Adam had been kind enough to bring it for her.

When he brought down the sword, Ruby recognized him going for his trick from before and immediately angled the shotgun down and popped him between the legs. His aura blocked it, but it still must've stung.

"Ngh…GAH!"

Adam's boot caught her on the side of her face, and Ruby fell down into the ground once more. This time, Adam knocked the scabbard out of her hand with a light rap to the wrist, and she was disarmed.

"That's enough for now. You've –"

Ruby leapt up and rammed her head into his stomach, knocking him off his feet. She wasn't going to fall for any tricks of Adam's, not when her grand plan to bring Raven down had only just begun. Dashing forward at normal speeds to conserve her fragile remaining aura, she dove into a somersault to scoop up Crescent Rose, switching it into a sniper when she landed.

She couldn't risk shooting him and that magic sword of his directly, so she shot the scabbard on the ground to make sure he didn't pick it up and try to use it against her.

"Enough!" Adam shouted.

"You don't say when it's enough!" Ruby nearly screamed. "It ends when it ends!"

Adam dropped his sword to the floor. "Then I yield."

Ruby's eyes darted about for tricks or traps, but nothing came into view. Adam didn't seem to have any other weapons on his person, but her aura was low enough that plain hits from his fists could probably break it. She kept her sights set on him, but as a sign of good faith, she took her finger off the trigger.

Adam held his hands up in surrender. "I yield. You may claim victory if you wish it."

"Tyrian!" she called out.

Within a second, the scorpion man was by her side. She wasn't a baby who needed an adult to help her, but she wasn't going to be lowering her weapon without the one Faunus who was on her side to watch her back.

"What's wrong with you?" said one of the Faunus in the crowd.

"He yielded! Are you crazy?" called out another.

That actually got a laugh out of Adam, and the men and women under his command turned to look at him.

"She's not crazy." A smile spread across his entire face. "She's perfect."

Ruby glared at the bare-breasted man. "I'm still not going to fuck you."

The smile immediately was replaced by a sighing frown.

When the battle was most assuredly over, Adam made some little speech about how Ruby's refusal to quit exemplified some key yada yada yada. Ruby couldn't be bothered to listen. She figured that if she had taught the lesson, she didn't need to learn it.

Tyrian had stood in for her while she took a second to catch her breath after the fight. While it had been an exhausting ordeal to duel such a vicious fighter, it was more Ruby's own reaction to it that disturbed her.

I was fighting to kill…a-and I couldn't turn that off. After Raven, I just…

Her survival instincts had gotten stuck in the on position. While Adam might have seen it as some valuable trait of not letting an enemy blindside you, Ruby had truly been prepared to kill him if it would have secured her victory. It wasn't an issue of pride but one of existence.

This is all so new to me. For most of my life, I was just play-fighting my sister and the few friends I had in Patch. Now, I've seen more people die than a lot of hunters would in a lifetime.

Two full villages. It wasn't unheard of for frontier cities to drop out of existence when the Grimm got through in higher numbers, but twice in almost a week? It was clearly affecting Ruby, if she'd been prepared to duel to the death during an exhibition spar.

"…strength, we shall be unstoppable. Rose and Tyrian's mistress is a powerful woman, and with her at our side, the White Fang shall rise to new heights!"

The Faunus all cheered, and Ruby weakly pumped a fist into the air. Go team.

"On that note, I'd like for Yuma, Trifa, and our new guests to join me in the war tent. The time has come to begin forming the plan for our next raid."

Ruby had half been expecting one of those little dioramas of the battlefield with tiny carved wooden pieces representing troop movements to be inside Adam's tent, but it was not to be. Instead, there was a hung up topographical map of Atlas, and the White Fang had set a project to display their strategies. The five of them, one of whom was the spider girl Ruby was technically impersonating, had gathered around it informally as Adam explained the situation to Tyrian and Ruby.

I bet the Atlesian military would sell their souls to the God of Darkness to see what I'm seeing here.

"We've got about a hundred men in this camp and just under three hundred total in all of Solitas, but our hunter-level fighters are limited to those in this room, as well as three at another camp and two at another. Two is the bare minimum number of hunters a White Fang encampment can operate with, or they risk Grimm breaching their perimeters. Thus, we can only count on one more aura-user to aid us."

"Aid us in what?" Ruby asked. "What's the target?"

Adam slapped a hand onto a portion of the map near the bottom, beyond the borders of Atlas. The entire sheet fluttered.

"The Southeast Convex, a military base of great tactical value to Atlas. It's far too well manned to be brought down by us and our troops, but it's also a forward base. Because of its high personnel count, Atlas needs to regularly supply it with food, medicine, Dust, and other such staples. If we can interrupt their supply lines and any replacement shipments, even for just a month, they would need to evacuate the base or risk a collapse. Then, the Grimm will handle the rest for us."

He knew of Salem's powers via his dealings with Cinder, so he probably meant that Salem had a horde of Sabyrs and other Atlas variants ready in the snowcapped hills, but the White Fang hunters must've assumed he meant that the base would gradually fall when it was abandoned.

Adam turned his back to the group and glared at the symbol on the map like it had insulted his mother. The projector was showing a moving dot along what Ruby assumed was the path of the supply line they were targeting.

"Our scouts have been scoping the route Atlas uses for a while now. The Convex is supplied by a high-speed rail with automated defenses – Jaguar turrets, Interon aero-drones, a small army of Mark IV's, and even some Mark V's."

Ruby didn't recognize the words Adam was using, but knowing Atlas, it was probably just a bunch of robots being piloted by AI or operators far away in the safety of the main kingdom. That was good. The longer she could put off killing people, the better.

"Nothing much," said Yuma. "I mean, you could cut through those on your own, sir."

"I know," Adam answered curtly. "But it's not as though Atlas will simply give up after the first shipment is seized. A replacement with twice as many heaps of scrap metal will be sent, and then another with three times, and so on. Once we make our plan clear, they'll know we want this base destroyed, and they'll throw everything they've got our way."

"Huntsmen?" Ruby asked, resisting the urge to ball up her fists.

"Atlesian huntsmen are mass-produced on an assembly line," Trifa said to her. "Unless they devote one of their speshies to us, we won't have a problem."

"W-Will they?"

"No," said Adam. "Because your friend will be keeping them busy elsewhere."

Tyrian perked up at that and began to drum his fingers together. His tongue ran along his lips once over, then quickly retreated back into his mouth like a worm and its burrow hole. "अहो, यत् शृणोमि तत् मम रोचते।."

Adam looked at Ruby.

"I think he's happy with the plan. Do you have a specific task for him, or is he just to cause general mayhem?"

Adam fixed Tyrian with an apprehensive stare. "The latter."

"अहं स्खलनं करोमि।."

Ruby sighed as the Faunus next to her began to vibrate like a ringing scroll. "I think he's really happy with the plan."

It was for the best. Trying to constrain Tyrian to mission parameters would just end up with him losing his patience and breaking free. He would fare much better with a general goal to keep in mind and the freedom to execute it however he saw fit.

Emphasis on execute, Ruby thought bitterly. She still wasn't over the things she'd seen in Ovais.

"Rose, Cinder's ally informed me you're best suited for team combat. You'll be with the hunters of the White Fang and I."

It took everything Ruby had not to correct him for saying 'and I' instead of 'and me.' Adam wouldn't appreciate it, but Ruby's sense of grammar was burning up inside.

"Got it, boss."

"Our final member, Ilia, shall be joining us from the other camp sometime tonight. Our assault will begin at 0500 tomorrow." He turned his single eye to Ruby before putting on the Grimm mask. "Be ready."

Against her better judgment, she decided to see if there was anyone to chat with in the White Fang camp before the clock struck bedtime. She wasn't normally in the business of befriending evil terrorists, but she actually was, having recently been tricked into that field by Ozpin.

Ruby was fairly certain she would go crazy if she tried to isolate herself from all of the bad guys around her at all times – rather, she would go crazy faster – and the alternative was Tyrian, so it had to be someone from the White Fang.

She approached Trifa first, hoping to talk about their upcoming mission, but she'd been blown off almost instantly. Ruby belatedly realized that it was for the best, as Trifa would be best suited to see through her Faunus disguise.

Yuma was another option, but the bat Faunus had seemed kind of really really happy when Ruby approached him, and everything about him made her want to scream stranger danger, so she suddenly remembered that she had something really important to do elsewhere when he offered to share a drink with her in his tent rather than just chat.

The unspoken rule in normal folks' society that aura-users and civilians didn't tend to mix seemed to apply just as well here, so Ruby found herself unable to make a friend amongst the normie crowd. Whenever she approached them, they either turned their backs to her, politely moved elsewhere while offering their seat to her, or asked how they could help with her upcoming mission.

That left…

"No, I don't want to be your friend, human."

Ruby bit her tongue. "I-I didn't ask to –"

"But that's what you're here for. You asked about why I joined the White Fang, but you're just lonely despite being surrounded by Faunus, and you're seeking to make idle chatter to alleviate your uncomfortable feelings. I care not for it. You may be a valued asset, but keep your distance. I'll certainly be keeping mine."

Ruby knew better than to push. Tyrian had warned her about Adam, and she was beginning to see what he had meant. She bowed politely and backed out of his war tent, only to trip over something behind her.

"Youch!"

Oh, not something, then.

"I am so sorry, miss," Ruby said, helping the young woman up. "I wasn't looking where I…w-what is that?"

The woman looked at the rod strapped to her waist and quickly backed up. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'll just –"

"It's so cool!"

Her manners entirely forgotten at the sight of an epic weapon, Ruby grabbed it right off of the girl's belt and began to fawn over the thing. It looked like it was a rapier, but then it also seemed to have these indents along the blade that…oh, it could elongate! So cool!

"Does it shoot out like a retractable spear, or is it loose like a whip?"

"I…how did…"

Ruby looked a little closer. "Oh, never mind. I see the compressible edges now – this handsome feller's a slippin' whip. Dust chamber, reinforced hilt…"

The girl snatched her weapon out of Ruby's hands before she could analyze it any further, cradling the sword-whip like it was a baby of hers that Ruby had stolen, but then she relaxed a bit. "How did you…"

"Sorry, I'm a bit of a weapons dork sometimes. It's rare that I get to see a cool one these days. Like, plain sword are nice and all, but a whip-sword? Way better!"

"I can hear you!" raged Adam from his tent. Ruby and this girl were still on his doorstep.

"I guess that counts as me being checked in with the head honcho," the girl drawled, looking away from both Ruby and the tent. "Anyhow, who're you supposed to be, and why're you so into my sword, kid?"

Ruby shoved out her hand. "Ruby Rose. Pleased ta meet'cha!"

"Oh. A spider, like…er, I mean, Ilia Amitola. I'm –"

"A huntress!" Ruby squealed, recognizing the name from Adam's briefing. "We're going to be working together. This is epic! Do you wanna see my scythe?"

"I…uh, sure?"

"Great!" Ruby hooked her arm around the other girl's and led her off in the direction of the tent she'd been given. "We're gonna be such great friends, Ilia. I can tell."

From inside his tent, Adam scoffed. "Knew it."

Coming Soon – Ruby's Friend

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #91 – Always remember to floss, or I'll find you.

Ruby's Tip #555 – Out of eggs in the fridge, but you still need them for a recipe? Go to the store and buy some eggs. Boom, problem solved. It's that easy.

Chapter Text

It was difficult to tell if Ilia actually enjoyed Ruby's presence or just tolerated it and was too polite to ask her to leave, but Ruby could care less about the truth. She's finally found someone not objectively insane in this world of scoundrels, thugs, terrorists, and Grimm-worshippers, and she wasn't going to let go of her for the universe!

"…and then I tripped over a pumpkin vine and ate a face full of mud! Oh, it was the worst!"

"You're smiling like it wasn't," Ilia said, exhaling through her nose slightly at the semi-funny story.

I'm smiling because if I told Cinder that story, she'd either not understand how swallowing a mouthful of my garden's soil was something I could look back on and laugh at, or she'd force a smile and try to initiate mouth-sex.

"It's just nice to have someone to talk to," Ruby said, the truth rolling off her lips like a burden relieved.

"I get that, sister," Ilia said. "Like, don't get me wrong, my brothers-in-arms in the White Fang are great, and there's no people I'd rather have my back in a warzone, but they aren't great…conversationalists."

"Adam?"

Ilia nodded.

Ruby clicked her tongue. "Well, we're conversationalists for one another, and we're going into battle tomorrow, so I'd say that's a win-win for everyone."

"Tomorrow? Don't you mean today?"

"Nah, the attack on the rail is scheduled for…" Ruby looked out the flap of the tent in which she'd been discussing wild childhood stories, exchanging weapons, browsing memes on her scroll, comparing favorite bands, and getting up to other such frivolities with her lizardo-bestie. "…tomorrow? Wait, why is it getting bright out?"

Ilia shrugged and stepped out of the tent, with Ruby following after her. "Prolly cuz it's morning, and we were up all night."

"All – crap! What time is it? Did we miss the thing?"

Ilia smiled and shook her head. "Naw. I'm on the op too, so I'd've said if we were getting late. The sun rises early in Solitas. I hope you're not going to get tired on the job, though."

Ruby wouldn't. She had plenty of experience operating at full capacity with little to no sleep. Basically anyone who'd passed their midterms and finals at Patch did.

Following the Faunus, Ruby trusted Ilia would know where they were headed. Actually, now that she thought about it, Adam hadn't really specified a meeting point for the early morning mission. Still, she had her scythe, and she didn't have to pee, so she was all set to go.

The others were all waiting for them, except for Tyrian. Ruby wondered why he'd been sent out to distract Atlas so early when the plan only needed him to occupy the specialists' time once they were aware of the White Fang's objective, but she didn't question it. Adam probably was better at terrorism than her.

And that's a good thing.

"Enjoy your beauty sleep?" Adam asked her, his lips parting in a particularly ugly manner.

"Couldn't get any."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Nerves getting to you already?"

"No, I was too busy banging your mom!" Ruby shot back. She actually had no interest in banging of any sort (save for gunshots), but Adam didn't need to know that.

"My mother is dead!" the bull Faunus growled, reaching for his sword.

"Yeah, cuz I banged her so hard!" Ruby said, doubling down and expanding Crescent Rose.

The bat Faunus and Ilia got between the red and black, rose-emblazoned hunters (wow, she and Adam had a lot of similarities in their theming when she thought about it) before the banter could get physical. Neither would benefit from that; despite having technically lost yesterday's exhibition match via a forfeit, Adam was probably the better fighter and would win, but Ruby could probably take an arm or a leg before she went down.

And also we're on the same side here. There's that, too.

"Idiot child," the mission leader snarled. "Enough of this. We've got a job to do, and your shenanigans won't get in our way."

"Hey, you st– ugh, never mind."

Ruby watched the train approaching through her binoculars from afar. She and the team of fighters were gathered around a rock formation that provided excellent cover for them to leap aboard without being seen a mile away.

Adam was actually wearing his shirt this time, but that seemed like a necessity. Had he not, Ruby might've called him out for it, as the strong winds in these parts of the snowy lands could easily have been enough to noticeably impact his aura.

Ilia seemed kind of jittery, so Ruby placed a hand on her new friend's shoulder to calm her down. The gesture seemed most appreciated, if Ilia's smile were any indicator.

"Remember, the goal here isn't anything fancy. Get in, destroy the train and anything on it, get out. The real battle is when they beef up security."

The train was coming closer and closer. Ruby couldn't wait to get out of this blizzard and into the climate-controlled atmosphere within Atlas' state of the art, high-speed mode of transport.

"Heh," said Yuma. "Beef."

Adam looked at him, and he looked back at Adam…specifically Adam's horns.

Wilt flashed like a bolt of lightning. Ruby's reflexes were faster than any of the other fighters, so she was able to throw herself away from the blade before it struck, but it had never been directed at her. Yuma must not have realized the danger he had put himself in by making the stupid joke.

Ruby had to stare at the scene for a few seconds before her brain caught up to her eyes. It had seemed so obvious, the course of events, that when Adam deviated from it, she couldn't comprehend it for a moment. Adam was a bully, the likes of which Ruby had encountered by the dozen…okay, by the few at school. He was supposed to smack Yuma, or maybe strike him and angrily yell at him to know his place.

The sword just went through his heart. Yuma died instantly, but he remained on the blade, as Adam had angled it upwards.

For about ten seconds, they all stared at Adam and the corpse he'd just made. Then, Trifa opened her mouth to speak, only to close it without saying a word. Another ten seconds passed in motionless silence, with Yuma's limp body still upright.

"That was a mistake," Adam said at long last. It sounded less like a confession and more like a struggling realization of the fact. He was explaining it to himself. "I made a mistake."

"We…the train's coming," Trifa whispered, her eyes down and her tone the exact opposite of forceful. "It would be to our benefit to…"

"I shouldn't have done that," Adam said, his eyes fixed on Yuma's corpse. "We might need him in the coming days, and it was an overreaction. I made a mistake."

"Adam," Ilia said. "If we don't go now, we –"

Adam tilted his sword downwards, and Yuma fell to the ground.

When he spoke, his voice was freshly shattered glass. "Have someone collect his body. No. Leave it to me. I should be the one to do it. Let's get the train. Seize anything of value you can carry, destroy the rest. For the White Fang."

"For the White Fang," chanted the surviving 66% of the White Fang, before the mission had even started.

Since there were no people aboard the train, they could simply hop on without even having to worry about making lots of noise. After all, in the snowstorm-rich tundra that was Solitas, it would be impossible to set up robotic defenses that were sound activated.

"It's got pressure sensors on the insides of the cars that will alert the drones," Ilia explained, back in business mode. Adam wasn't yet at full speed after his actions just moments prior, so she was leading their formation for the time being. "The doors are locked with fancy Atlesian gadgetry, and the insides of the cars are hermetically sealed before being sent off, to prevent anyone or anything from getting in. Once we breach those seals, all hell is going to break loose."

Ruby nodded. Anything that wasn't a Faunus was fair game to be annihilated. The goal here was to get better as quickly as possible, and the secondary goal was to improve relations with these insane allies of Salem that really didn't have a purpose and were actively going around killing one another and would probably kill Ruby is she looked at them the wrong way.

Needless to say, the secondary goal was less important to Ruby personally.

With Yuma gone, they numbered four – Ruby, Trifa, Adam, and Ilia. The male member of the team was the one to breach the doors, slashing through them with dismaying ease and rushing into the controlled atmosphere. Ruby and the others followed into the warzone as soon as he was through.

Ilia had warned her that it was going to be chaotic, but she assumed there would be a moment's pause when the robots warmed up while their eyes started glowing red. It wasn't so. Instantly, literally before she'd taken a second complete step through the door, a hailstorm of bullets pelted her from the already spun-up turrets that lined the ceiling. Ruby dove to the side to get under them, but Atlas had apparently thought of that and dotted the roof with guns to cover every angle. Her aura was easily tanking the small bullets (the trouble with quantity was that it tended to reduce the quality), but she imagined it would run out before their magazines.

A crisp crackle filled the air, and Lightning Lash swung around in a wide loop. Each of the guns were hit by it as it passed, and the electricity coursing through its length was enough to inhibit them all. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief as the turrets shut down from Ilia's sweeping assault on them.

The battle wasn't over, though, not by a long shot. Now that Ruby could have a look at the room into which they'd entered, she could see just how long it was, and wide. The size of it reminded her of a professional greenhouse, and it seemed to extend on for nearly half a kilometer. This was no mere passenger train; it was clearly made for bulk shipments to feed the troops.

As such, there was plenty of room for the robots that were converging on their location to move about. It wasn't just bipedal humanoid robots. Some of them were eight-legged crablike creatures that had two massive guns where the claws would be, and others were smaller flying objects with missiles sticking off the edge. If Ruby weren't fighting for her life, she might've taken the time to geek out over the engineering that had to be behind such amazing weapons (and wonder if she could equip Crescent Rose with a small deployable drone of its own).

Sadly, she was fighting for her life, and so fun times had to wait while Ruby charged forward and laid waste to the robotic foes. They clearly weren't designed to be deployed versus aura-users, as Ruby's scythe tore right through most of the smaller bots, as did Wilt. It made sense that they didn't; after all, aura was so tightly controlled a commodity due to the academies' laws prohibiting its misuse. Rogue huntsmen and huntresses were nearly completely a thing of the past, and it was nearly unthinkable that the White Fang had more than a handful of hunters.

And as of today, they're one lower. Cheers.

Ilia and Trifa had fallen back, drawing out Dust-enhanced firearms and engaging the robot crab from afar. Adam was practically walking through the humanoid robots, while Ruby herself had taken to sniping the remaining floating drones out of the air while she picked off the land-based robots that wandered too close to her personal space. Even without Yuma, they were doing stellar. Adam had been right in stating how easy this all was.

The entire train car was cleared of robots within minutes, and the next three went down even faster now that Ruby and the White Fang had found their optimal sweet spots amongst one another. Once they were the only passengers aboard the rail line, the four planted the charges Trifa had brought in her pouch at various points.

They could have recovered some of the materials being transported, but aside from filling their pockets with plain Dust crystals or Atlesian ration packets, it would be impossible to transport it. It seemed to Ruby like Adam had suggested it, he'd had encrypted computers or papers with classified information and those types of things in mind, and there were no such valuable items anywhere in sight.

It seemed like a major waste to just let all that food be blown up when people were starving all across the world, but there was nothing Ruby could do about it.

It's not like this is my fault. The White Fang would have destroyed this train either way, whether I was with them or back in Signal. And besides, the people at the Convex base place will just go back home if they don't get fed, not starve. Atlas wouldn't let that many of their own soldiers die when it would be easy enough to sound a retreat.

Ruby watched the train explode from a safe distance, with the rest of the White Fang at her side. All in all, it was a complete success, with the only casualty on their side being the one Adam had caused.

"…was murdered! The humans! Humans will never let us have peace! The humans, never!"

You're not wrong, Ruby thought to herself as Adam raged and ranted to the crowd. Yuma was murdered. But it was you who did it!

"Animals! Killed! They tore him apart, so viciously that we don't even have a body to bury!"

You just don't want them seeing the hole in his chest that your sword fits perfectly into.

The worst part of it was that Adam's anger seemed real. Ruby wasn't sure if he was presenting self-hatred to the crowd and sprucing it up with a racially inflammatory speech, if he was expressing latent anger at humans in general and had entirely forgotten about Yuma, or if he truly had somehow jumped through enough mental hula-hoops to somehow think that humans had forced him to kill his buddy by…because…Ruby didn't how Adam could justify it to himself, but he certainly seemed like the kind of man who would find a way.

Even if Ruby hadn't seen Adam kill Yuma by his own hand, she wouldn't have believed his lies. The way he spewed out words so desperately, as though he thought of a new term or phrase every time and feared he would forget it if he didn't reveal it to the world immediately, struck her as insane. She seemed alone in that conclusion, though, for every other Faunus in the crowd was eating up their leader's fanatical shouting.

Are they all just gullible, or is Adam some trustworthy pillar of the White Fang community? Maybe they know and just hate humans just as much as he does…

Any which way, it didn't speak well of the Faunus in front of her. It amazed her sometimes that Atlas, with all its resources, couldn't shut down a rowdy bunch of poorly armed, improperly trained rebels who had only nine…make that eight…hunters on the entire continent.

Adam continued to rave, the only thing missing being the froth at his mouth, so Ruby left him to his bull crap (heh) while she went out to find Ilia. Had Tyrian been there, she might have sought out his company, as his brand of insanity was far preferable to Adam's, but the scorpion was long gone by now.

Ilia wasn't in the tent from last night, and Ruby hadn't seen her in the crowd. She was free to wander their encampment, as most of the Faunus were occupied by Adam's rabble rousing, and the few who remained no longer gave her odd looks. Presumably, fighting and winning one of their battles for them had won some favor in their eyes.

As she traversed the site, she couldn't help but notice little things that served to reinforce just how poorly the war was faring in the White Fang's favor. The tents that had been hastily pitched were all ragged and dirty, likely from having been torn down and reset every time Atlas closed in on their location, and some of them had rips and tears that would lead to great discomfort on cold Atlesian nights. In fact, their fabrics were all thin as an umbrella's material and their styles Mistrilian floral patterns.

They're on the verge of falling apart, and their resources haven't been refreshed. Adam's charisma and talent with the blade is probably keeping them together, but it won't be long now.

Salem wanted them as her allies, but that had been when they could be manpower for a specific purpose in Vale. With that purpose gone, she had lost any need of them, and yet Ruby and Tyrian, two-fifths of her trusted inner council (two-sixths if you counted the hound) were dispatched to their aid for this trivial train-stopping mission. Had she been sincere about her only motives here being honoring an existing bargain?

"Ruby?"

She turned around to see Ilia standing behind her. The young Faunus' eyes were bloodshot, and her hands were wrapped around her chest like she was cradling herself.

"Oh, hey Ilia. You, uh, you doin' okay?"

"No," Ilia curtly responded.

Ilia looked like she was about to fall apart, and Ruby rushed to grab ahold of her friend before she melted into a pile of Atlesian slush.

"Ilia, what's wrong?"

"Yuma, I…he…"

Ruby winced. Of course she was beat up about the death of one of her friends at the hands of another. It had probably kicked in as soon as the adrenaline from the mission wore off. What's wrong…what a stupid question to ask.

"What if it had been me?" Ilia said, her face buried into Ruby's shoulder. "How long until it is me? Adam's always been quick to temper, and I don't know if I can predict how he's going to react to every little thing if he keeps getting worse like this."

"Could you, I dunno, switch to a different branch of the White Fang?" Ruby asked, trying to be logical about it. Ilia would do better with a solution than comforting platitudes. "Or just avoid him when we're done with the train thing?"

"Ruby, I'm not sure I'm going to still be around when we're done with the 'train thing.'" Ilia began to cry. "I don't wanna die at 17. I don't wanna die before I've even kissed a girl."

"You're not gonna die," Ruby said, patting Ilia on the back. "Do what I do and keep your aura raised at all times. Adam got himself under control as quickly as he lost it, so if he does attack you, and I doubt he will, you just gotta survive until he gets a grip on himself."

There was a loud cheer coming from the other side of the White Fang camp, indicating that their impromptu celebration/rally/funeral was coming to a close.

"I don't wanna die," Ilia bawled, collapsing into Ruby's embrace.

"If things go wrong, I'll protect you," Ruby said. "I won't let you die, Ilia."

I can't let the only sane person I know die, Ruby thought.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Last Ride

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #5 – Wait, does Penny show up in this fic? She isn't in the tags, but she's such an important character…weird. Anyways, uh, the tip. Right. Uhhhhhh…crap, I forgot what it was.

Chapter Text

"On your left!" Adam called out.

Ruby dodged out of the way, not even looking as the crab robot's leg tried to squish her. She might not trust any member of the White Fang, but when they were on a mission, listening to your allies could be the difference between life and death. Adam wasn't going to throw away the life of a valuable pawn like Ruby, and Ruby wasn't going to throw away her own life by not heeding the warning of someone who had both a better vantage point than her and a vested interest in keeping his ally from dropping.

This was the fiftieth train they'd brought down in half as many days, and Ruby was almost exhausted from the strain it was putting on her body. Atlas hadn't put any troops on the train, instead just filling it up with more and more robots in the hopes that it would wear down the White Fang, and it was working. Fighting costed Dust and aura, and those were things that would run out eventually.

A turning point had been at the end of the first week, when Atlas seemed to have realized that they didn't need to just send trains once a day. Ruby's sleep schedule had only just started to adjust to both the new kingdom's time zone and having to wake up early in the morning. Now, she could be called out at any time to fight, morning, day, or night. The trains just kept coming.

And coming.

And coming.

And coming.

Tyrian must be really causing a ruckus if they can't spare a single huntsman to stop us. Of course, they might just be assuming that throwing robots at the problem will eventually work. And they'd be right…I don't know how much longer we can keep this up.

Ilia and Trifa had taken to swapping on and off of missions, given that the former needed to scrounge together enough Dust to power her weapon and the latter's aura control was so poor that she would need extra time to recover after each train. Currently, Trifa was with them, but she'd sustained a rather nasty cut on her leg and had withdrawn, prepping the explosives to remain useful.

Ruby herself was feeling the burn, but the vision in her head of Raven bringing down a sword onto her kept her going. Complain though she may, she certainly was improving. Being forced into combat against unending hordes of enemies with computer-precise accuracy and zero second reaction times had been a trial by fire that burned away weakness.

Adam was the only one of them who didn't seem at all perturbed. Because of his semblance, the more enemies that werethrown at him, the better he fared. Ruby could truly see why the powerhouse of a young man had become an icon for the White Fang. Honestly, he might have even been able to handle these missions on his own. On a positive note, he had yet to add a second name to his list of murder victims.

"Get back!" screeched the bull Faunus in question.

Ruby flew into a leap with her semblance, just in time to avoid the strike of one of the aerial drone's missiles. Using the leap to get running along the vertical face of the wall behind her, she managed to sneak up on the last of the six crab droids that had been pestering her with its cannons and sever its rear legs while it was distracted by Adam. She'd gotten good at utilizing the weakest points in the robots' architectures, and crabs were the toughest to take down. All of those legs made them awfully sturdy, and it was only when four were completely destroyed (or three on the same side) did they go down entirely. Since they could rotate while maintaining a steady position due to their upper halves having a separate axis from their bottoms, getting the slip on them was something of a challenge…a challenge she'd gotten good at overcoming.

"Going for the last legs!" she screamed out, having lost sight of Adam but counting on him being somewhere. "Handle the birds!"

There was metallic crunching in the background as Adam swatted the aerial drones out of the sky, charging up Moonslice as he struck.

The crab bot had locked onto her, and with her aura so low, using her semblance to get behind it would be wasteful. Instead, she twirled her scythe to block its fire, imitating the movements Adam used to soak up the momentum from bullets, and dashed forward at normal human speed. It had taken some practice to get so adept at both spinning her weapon and also keeping a firm enough hold on it that the shots blow it right out of her hand, but it had paid off in dividends once she got it down.

As a machine, it could do nothing but continue to try the same tactic of shooting Ruby head on as she got closer and closer, until she was finally right up on its nose. There was no way for its guns to angle inwards and hit her, so it tried to stomp her with its legs. Ruby kicked off the first one as it flew towards her, then hooked Crescent around the seconds to swing back around. Instead of going for the legs, she decided to skip to the end and behead it, finishing the fight.

There were still some bipeds left, but Ruby left those for Adam to mop up and rushed to see if Trifa needed help with the detonators. They had won the train, but if it got too far along the rail, the military base to which it was headed might be able to send out some reinforcements.

"Trifa! Where'd you go?!"

"H-Here…"

Ruby ran over to the sound of the Faunus' voice to find her laying on the floor. She pushed the bag of explosives out to Ruby.

"Take them. Finish the mission. Leave me here…"

"Shut the fuck up already, Trifa," Ruby said tiredly. By this point, she was getting real tired of Trifa's bullshit.

Almost everyone in the White Fang seemed to have some sort of martyr complex. If they weren't about to die on the job for some silly reason, they weren't happy. Ruby supposed that came with the territory when the average life expectancy was however long it took for a lucky bullet to meet your forehead.

Ruby grabbed the bag, took out half of the explosives, and ran down to the end. Now that there were no more threats, she could use her semblance without much fear.

Once they were placed, she ran back to Trifa, snatched the rest of the bags contents, and did the same on the other half. Adam gave her a brief nod as she passed by him both times, signaling that he would go back to recover Trifa.

All in all, a mission well done. The train was destroyed, Trifa only got out minorly hurt, and Convex Base was that much closer to falling. It was only a matter of time before the base was declared lost by Atlas, and Ruby would be able to leave these crazies.

They weren't the only ones doing things, of course. The other non-hunters at the camp had gotten busy with miscellaneous tasks. Most of them were periodically dispatched into Atlas using backdoors known only to the White Fang (Ruby suspected it was Faunus sympathizers in the police who had access to the gates) to steal supplies or complete other objectives that their High Command had deemed worthy uses of their time.

Most of this was stuff Ruby wasn't supposed to know, but lips tended to get a whole lot looser the further one was from Menagerie. There, in the heart of the White Fang, everyone observed proper procedure. Out here, it would've been utterly impractical to hide their entire operational plans from Ruby. That wasn't to say that they advertised them, but no one went to any great lengths to conceal them.

While some might have gradually become friends with these terrorists and discovered the innate personhood within all living beings, even going as far as to develop a sympathetic understanding of their reasons for rebelling against the world, Ruby didn't. She hadn't. These White Fang people…aside from Ilia, they were all scum.

As for Adam, he was an egotistical maniac who seemed to never have gotten over a woman named Blanket, and that was fitting because she seemed to be his security blanket that he used to frighten off the 'fearsome humans.' Now that she was gone, he was lashing out and expanding in every direction, seeing how far he could push and finding no resistance. Unlike Ruby and Roman, he discovered no consequences for his misdeeds, and so he was emboldened in a self-destructive spiral that was inevitably going to end in him thinking he could take on the entire Atlesian army with just his sword, his righteous rage, and his exaggerated dick.

As for Trifa, she was just as bad. She was the essence of what Ruby couldn't stand about the White Fang in general. This wasn't the first mission where she'd volunteered to bravely lay down her life in an entirely unnecessarily risk move. It would've been noble if not for the fact that one of their three fighters throwing her life away was actually harming their efforts. Ruby had to wonder if she'd seriously incurred the leg injury that inhibited her from standing during combat, or if she'd just let it happen for her to satiate her need to be a tragic victim.

As for Yuma, he was dead. Still.

Honestly, Ruby had only been able to endure the whole ordeal mentally by reminding herself periodically that she was only using the White Fang as a steppingstone to greater strength. Once she had gotten more powerful, Cinder would find Amber, and eventually they would stop Raven once and for all.

And all of Cinder and Salem's people are also just steppingstones for me to bring the powers back to Ozpin. Gods, there's so much duplicity here, I might forget who I'm truly working for.

But who was Ruby really working for?

Ozpin? Did she have any loyalty to him after he'd abandoned her and forced his own death to be placed on her conscience? With each day spent far away from her family and her real life, it was getting harder and harder to trust that he'd done the right thing. Ruby had only ever listened to him in the first place because she was distraught, and he had appeared as an authority figure in her life's most dire time of need.

Goodwitch? It was the same as Ozpin, but she hadn't even had to die for this. The reigning headmistress of Beacon was the only one who got to sit cozy in her castle while everyone else suffered.

Herself? She was just a kid! She had no clue what she was doing here!

It was chaos. There was no one in charge here. No adult making a plan, no precocious child pulling it off – pure chaos.

"How long will she be out of commission?" Ilia asked, watching the medics tend to a loudly whinging Trifa.

"Three days at least," Adam said.

"That's about ten trains, assuming they don't ramp up," Ruby said, answering Ilia's real question.

"Which they will." Ilia didn't so much say it as she groaned it.

"They will," Adam concurred with a nod. "That means both of you are going to be working full time until she's back on her feet. Ilia, I'd advise you load up on Dust and get some rest right away. We have no idea when the scouts will spot the next shipment, and we need to be ready."

Ilia groaned again, and Ruby slung an arm around her shoulder before Adam could question her fitness for combat. She wasn't fit for combat, and that was obvious, but Adam wouldn't be able to take her off the mission, so it wouldn't make a difference.

"C'mon, girl. Let's get you somewhere else."

Despite being younger, shorter, and less experienced than Ilia, Ruby was the one who supported the chameleon girl back to her tent and propped a pillow under her head before she could pass out.

"Don't worry. Trifa's a dummy who got herself hurt because she wants to be revered by generations to come for dy…for being in the line of fire. The same won't happen to you because you don't want that."

"Gonna die, gonna die, gonna die, gonna die, gonna die…"

Ruby sighed and patted Ilia's head as she repeated her fears over and over again. An aura-user though she may have been, this was not a huntress. The difference was in her disposition. Ruby knew her aura would protect her, and she had enough confidence in her skills to count on it when she raced headfirst into combat without a care in the world. She'd been doing this since childhood, and she trusted herself and her baby to see her through to the dawn. Ilia must've joined the White Fang in her late teenage years, for she wasn't accustomed to life-threatening scenarios and didn't seem to have the nerve for willingly entering them.

Fear of death wasn't unreasonable, but it was a civilian thing. That was what Ilia was – a civilian who happened to have had her aura unlocked. No shame in being normal, right?

"Ilia, we're doing the same thing over and over again, train after train," Ruby said. "What're the odds you're gonna die this time when we've pulled everything off without a hitch before?"

"Gonna die gonna die, gonna die…"

Ruby sighed. "Try and get some sleep. Thing's look better when Adam and I are freshened up and you're –"

Adam's voice called from afar. "ROSE! AMITOLA!"

Withholding her growls, Ruby petted her mental health teddy chameleon companion and opened up the flap of the tent. "What?"

"Train's been spotted," said a nearby Faunus. "You're on."

"Gonna die…"

She couldn't help but laugh at the elder girl's repeated chanting. "You're not gonna die, Ilia."

Ilia didn't raise her voice, but her dismay was clear. "You can't protect me, you're bushed from the last train, Adam can't protect me, he's the one what's gonna kill me, I'm going to die today, no no no no no noooooo…"

"ROSE! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?"

"WE'RE FUCKING COMING!" screamed Ruby back. "GIVE US A MINUTE!"

"WE DON'T HAVE A MINUTE!" he screamed right back. "THE TRAIN LAUNCHED EARLY!"

Damn it, Ruby cursed to herself. If even one train gets past us, all that work we did is going to go to waste. All our progress down the drain…then Adam might get angry, and Ilia or I might actually be killed.

"Ilia, we need to go."

She kept mumbling to herself as Ruby lifted her to her feet and handed her the whip-sword that had been lying on the ground. Ilia did manage to follow along, but it was more like she was on autopilot and susceptible to Ruby's prodding in the right direction than she had gained courage to overcome her crippling fears.

In the end, Ruby had to lead Ilia all the way to Adam.

When they jumped on this train, Ruby was at 45% aura. She'd not had nearly enough time to regenerate up to full, and although Crescent Rose was reloaded, she had no option but to fall back and let the others take point. If she criticized Trifa for throwing herself into harm's way and did the same, it would the world's finest hypocrisy.

Still, I hate to see Ilia put in danger so much, Ruby thought as she cleaved a robot in half before it could even raise its gun. And after I promised not to let any harm come to her.

It would be fine, though. As long as Ilia didn't die, Ruby would – didn't die or get hurt, Ruby would be keeping her promise. She just needed to keep a close eye on her scroll and watch for the dreaded red aura.

They were lucky in thar regard; this train actually seemed to have fewer robots on it. Maybe Atlas was running –

"Oh, shit!" Ruby cried out, not even a full ten seconds into their assault. "It's a trap!"

Adam turned to look at Ruby as she raced forward and threw herself onto Ilia, unsure of exactly what the problem was but entirely sure that there was a problem. Atlas was Atlas; it didn't run out of robotic drones to throw at the people it deemed unworthy of living.

"We need to get out of here!" Ruby screamed. "Adam!"

"NO!" he roared. "If we back down now, we lose all the progress! Yuma died for this, you stupid human!"

"There's too few –"

She had been half expecting the entire train to explode, given that she had explosives on the mind after using so many of them. Thus, when a team of huntsmen dropped out from the side of one of the supply crates and opened fire on her, it was unexpected enough that her aura took the first three hits before she rolled herself and Ilia to cover. Adam, having not expected anything at all, ate several machinegun rounds to the stomach aura.

Atlas had had enough, and they were sending their best to flush out the White Fang subversives. Ruby recognized the white and blue of their outfits as the Specialists Corp. This was going to be the fight of her life.

"ATLAS!" Adam screamed, as though his enemy's name was his own war cry. Without a thought for his safety, he charged the unit of four sword-first.

Ruby made sure Ilia was unhurt, scanned her surroundings quickly, and checked for any other nasty surprises. The Specialists must have heard her shouting out about a trap and decided to reveal themselves before they lost the element of surprise.

"Oh my gods, we're actually going to die," Ilia said, her hands clenching her ears as she rocked back and forth in her sitting position. "This is it."

"Not if we fight!" Ruby said, peeking around the corner in time to see Adam cut down one of the huntsmen. "If you can stun one of them while Adam handles the other, I can deal with the third. They're already down one, and they were probably expecting an ambush to be their main advantage after the robots had already worn us down twice in one day. We can do this!"

"We're gonna die I'm gonna die here Mom Dad I don't wanna die…"

Ruby tried to shake Ilia out of her trance, which succeeded but also caused her to start weeping. Ilia's mind wasn't in the fight, and at this point, she would be more of a liability than an asset.

Dual wielding weapons might give her an advantage. Grabbing Lightning Lash from the floor where Ilia had dropped it, Ruby rose to her feet. Ilia grabbed at her wrist and begged her not to leave, but she had to be ignored. Adam had already stabbed a second specialist through the neck and was moving on to his third, but Ruby's scroll said he was at 10% aura.

Not enough to use his semblance, which means he's actually going to start taking damage soon…

As she charged at the soldier-huntsmen hybrids dual wielding her own and Ilia's weapon, Ruby fought not for her own life but for Ilia's. Ilia was like a…like a…how to put it…she was like a bastion of safety from the storm. Ruby had seen so many horrible things and watched so many innocent people die early, but Ilia would survive and go on to enjoy her life, and the world would be that much brighter for Ruby's influence. She had to protect her friend, because if she did, she would have done at least one good thing on this cursed mission of hers. Just knowing that Ilia was out there would be enough for Ruby to go on.

After the battle, Ruby would piece together what had happened after fight or flight firmly landed in the fight camp. After the battle, Ruby would recall how she hadn't been thinking about her numerous false allegiances or about the grand goal of Raven or about why the specialists had been dispatched in spite of Tyrian being tasked with keeping them off her hands. After the battle, Ruby would realize that she'd been prepared to kill her enemies to keep her allies alive, even though her true allies were the Specialists and her true enemy was the White Fang. After the fact, Ruby would recall a lot of things.

But during the fight, nothing was passing through her mind other than how to come out alive.

She was a blur of rage, and most of her attacks weren't even consciously done. Hell, she could barely even remember most of them the moment after they were executed. Muscle memory took over, and Ruby found herself dipping into the moves she'd practiced with Cinder back in the day at Evernight. Three hits, one with Crescent to disarm, one with Lightning Lash to break the aura, and one to – damn it, the other specialist had knocked Crescent from her hands! Damn him to hell!

No, never mind, he was dead. Adam, again, even with broken aura, three for three on the humans he hated so dearly.

Ruby focused back on her specialist. He was the last surviving member of his team, and there was fear in his eye as the human and Faunus approached him. He reached into his coat to grab what looked like a grenade, but Ruby shot him in the hand, making him drop it.

The object landed on the ground face-down, and the man's face grew into a vicious grin.

"HAH! I win!"

The doors through which they'd entered hissed shut, as did thick metal reinforcements behind them. Simultaneously, metal bars locked down over the windows in crossing patterns, trapping them inside and blocking off all means of escape.

"No. You lose. You die!" Adam stabbed Wilt into his abdomen, bursting the man's heart in a splash of blood, but he died with a smile on his face. "Damn you, and all humans!"

Ruby let out a sigh, wiped the sweat off her brow, and turned back around to see if Ilia was okay. As long as Ilia was okay, it could all be worth it.

Ilia was fine. She seemed a bit shaken, and she was holding her knees so tightly one might've thought her afraid that her legs would fall off, but she was entirely unhurt.

"Ruby," Adam snarled from behind her. "Detonator…"

"We can get them in a minute," she said, using Crescent to lean on. It wasn't exhaustion that was making her so weak in the knees but the declining adrenaline. Her body was tensed up for even more fighting, but there were no more enemies.

"Rose, the human…the object he dropped was a detonator."

Ruby looked back at the downed soldier and saw that it was, in fact, true. He had pulled out some sort of button, and it had landed facedown. That explains why he was laughing.

"Why didn't it just go off immediately?" Ruby asked.

"Atlesian arrogance. They probably wanted to give any survivors among their specialists time to get off the train."

That sounded more like compassion than arrogance, but it wasn't Ruby's place to correct him.

"Why are you holding Lighting Lash?" asked Adam. He was leaning heavily on Wilt, and from the looks of it, he actually was exhausted from the fight. Ruby could spot several lines of blood and tears in his outfit that must've come at the cost of taking down a full team of specialists.

"We're trapped in here," Ruby said, looking up to the windows. "None of us would be able to fit through the grates…"

"Ruby. Answer me. Why are you holding Lighting Lash?"

"Our own explosives!" Ruby said, snapping her fingers. "If we, I dunno, cut them in half, do you think the blast might be enough to blow open one of the doors without killing us all?"

Adam coughed blood onto the floor, making no effort to cover his mouth as he thought it over. "M-Maybe. You'd be gambling on utilizing just enough Dust to compromise the integrity of the steel without setting off the Atlesian's bombs. We don't know where they are, though, or how long until the explode…"

"We don't really have much of a choice," Ruby said. She was the one with the bag, but Adam had the expertise with IEDs, so she grabbed out one and handed it to him. "I'll leave it to you."

She'd expected him to do some highly scientific procedure like disassembling the explosive casing and carefully separating the ordnance with paramilitary precision, but Adam just placed the bomb on Wilt's blade and pushed down until it was cut into two unequal pieces. The larger of the two fell to the floor and rolled away, while Adam kept hold of the smaller piece and delivered it to Ruby.

"Make haste."

She did.

Chucking it through the air toward the empty end of the train cars, she shot it at its zenith with Crescent Rose. The bullet hit the half-charge just before the half-charge collided with the doors, and the explosion that followed made Ruby's hair stand on end.

When the smoke cleared, she peeked towards the door.

"It's still sealed."

Ilia, who had broken out of her terror-induced trance to come and join them, held out the remaining larger one of the cut pieces to Ruby, having picked it up. She was keeping her other arm close to her chest as though to cradle or hug herself. "Try this. If it fails, we do a full charge."

Ruby hurled the larger explosive, lining up the igniting bullet with pinpoint accuracy.

This burst of flame and fire was much larger, and the shockwave that followed nearly knocked Ruby down. Adam's meager balance was lost when his makeshift-cane of a sword slipped from his grip, and he fell to the floor next to Wilt.

It had been about thirty seconds since the specialist had dropped the trigger, and Ruby really didn't want to see what happened when they hit another round number like a minute.

"You don't need to snipe it midair," moaned Adam from the ground. "It can be on the ground when it goes off!"

Ruby reached into her bag and pulled out a full-sized charge. Following Adam's advice, she rolled it on the floor over to the door, lined up Crescent Rose's scope, and fired.

This one's blast knocked her and Ilia down, and Adam was swept to the back of the car. Ruby was so disoriented that she had to grab hold of the edge of a large box and pull herself up with it. Her ears were ringing, and she could barely hear the world around her.

She could see, however, and the pale sunlight of the outside world pouring through the shredded metal where the doors had been was visible to her. Ruby shook her head and waited a second for her bearings to return before offering a hand to Ilia.

"We have to go," she said.

Ilia accepted the hand, nodding once as a thanks to Ruby.

As gently as she could, Ruby yanked Ilia forward towards the exit of the carriage. Assuming the Atlesians were intending to thoroughly deal with the White Fang, their own bombs would do the job of bringing down the train for them.

"Ruby, Adam can't stand."

"Leave him. He was asking about why I had Lightning Lash, insisting I tell him."

"Ruby, he's…he's hurt. He won't be able to get out if we leave him."

Ruby kept tugging Ilia, prompting her to leave. "That's kinda the point."

"Ruby, he'll die!"

"Yes. Again, the point. I promised I wouldn't let you die, and this is how."

Ilia looked back at the downed Faunus, who was gazing their way incredulously. "Ruby, we need to –"

Ruby pulled Ilia forward, essentially throwing her in front of her. Then, she slapped Ilia across the face.

"If you want to stay behind and die, or if you want to save him so he can kill you for deserting…" Ruby marched past Ilia angrily, hands at her sides. "…"be my guest."

"They killed him!" Ruby screeched. "They murdered Adam like an animal! That's how they see us Faunus!"

The crowd roared their approval. She could see Ilia guiltily averting her eyes, but she ignored it. Sending in specialists must've been Atlas' final attempt to resolve the situation, for they clearly weren't willing to expend any more effort into supplying the base after it had cost them so much. The base was being evacuated, and unnatural numbers of Grimm had already been sighted braying at the walls. Salem's influence, clearly, though Ruby couldn't say that to the crowd.

"They didn't even let us recover his body for a funeral!"

Ilia wasn't talking to Ruby anymore. Ruby was still proud of herself for keeping the one sane friend she'd made alive, and she was equally pleased with Ilia's private announcement to her that she would be returning to Menagerie and taking some time off from the White Fang, but Ilia was lost to Ruby herself just the same.

It had been the adrenaline that made her be so aggressive when convincing Ilia to leave Adam to his death. That was the truth, and it wasn't even a self-delusion. Ruby had been so hyped up, and her heart had been racing, and Adam was a monster, and…

Ilia was the one person who wanted to remain alive, the one person Ruby could protect. She was supposed to be the one good deed Ruby would be able to do. And she had the audacity to change her mind and decide she was going to become a martyr at the last minute, after all that? Ruby had seen nothing but red.

Yes, it was certainly the high-flying emotions of rage and fury from the fight that had made her do what she did…and those emotions were eventually going to fade. Certainly. They might've made giving a vengeance-themed speech to the White Fang easier, but they wouldn't last forever.

It hadn't helped that Ilia had asked what Adam had meant when he'd called her a human on their way back to the White Fang encampment, and Ruby had jumped the gun and assumed it to be an accusation. Things were said by the both of them that couldn't be taken back…mostly by Ruby, though. Only by Ruby, in fact. Ilia had just shut up, awkwardly averted her eyes, and let Ruby rant and scream at her about how ungrateful she was and how she probably hated humans.

The White Fang had a chain of command, but Ruby's sheer force of character had been enough to make her the de facto figurehead for the time being, hence her impassioned goodbye speech. Tyrian was back at the camp, his normal wily smile missing, and he'd informed her through garbled speech, hand gestures, and the like that they were going back to Salem.

Her skills at combat had improved. The White Fang's mission was complete, and their alliance with Salem was probably sturdier than ever now that Adam's martyr was associated with Ruby seeing his last mission through after he fell. The meanie bad guy was dead, and the kind, good girl was alive and leaving the terrorists that had put her in danger. Ruby hadn't even had to jeopardize her cover.

So why wasn't the anger going away?

Coming Soon – Ruby's Head

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #970 – Stop being a little bitch already.

Chapter Text

The girl that left the Evernight Castle probably wouldn't have liked the girl that came back to the Evernight Castle. She would've called her hurtful things like 'as cold as the kingdom you came from' or 'a big old meanie' or 'a jerk who pushed away her friend because she didn't fit into the neat little mold that Ruby wanted, no, that Ruby needed her to fit into so Ruby could get emotional gratification out of saving her.'

The girl that left the Evernight Castle was an idiot.

Ruby didn't say a word to Tyrian for the entire duration of the flight. He was antsy, likely at the failure he'd encountered in his assigned task of keeping the Specialists off of Ruby's hands. She chose not to engage him and received nothing but silence in return, which was just the perfect environment for an upset little runt and a jittery old man.

Ruby and Tyrian knelt before Salem on her throne.

"Your grace."

Salem stroked the head of the hound, which sat at her side, then placed her arms on the armrests. "Leave us, and shut the door on your way out."

The Grimm creature must've been making progress, for it completed the two-step command with ease. Ruby could recall a time when it had been barely able to sit still without lashing out at Hazel's accidental touch.

"How was Atlas, little Rose?"

"Chilly, your grace. I'm glad I packed my winter coat."

That got a smile out of Salem. Ruby could've given a fuck about the temperature after engaging in near ceaseless war with the military, but she refused to let Salem witness the anguish she'd caused Ruby. With the Scarab having been inside her arm the entire time and Tyrian dispatched to the city, there was no one who could tell Salem what had truly happened. Ruby refused to give this vile woman the pleasure of seeing her turmoil over what she'd done in the northernmost continent, not when Salem's stated goal was darkening Ruby. It didn't matter if she was succeeding; Ruby would give her nothing.

She remained Ruby Rose, the cute little munchkin, and Salem made no progress on corrupting her. That stupid girl who left the Evernight Castle might've been an idiot, but Ruby remembered how to be her.

And who knew? Maybe if she played the part of the still-innocent child enough to trick everyone else, she might be able to trick herself into believing it one day.

"I'll be sure to send you somewhere balmy next. And Tyrian…I do hope your experience was more pleasurable than Ruby's."

She knew. Tyrian, already on his knees, fell to the floor in a full-body prayer pose.

"Tá brón orm, a Bhanríon!" he sniveled, barely clear enough to be understood. "Tá brón orm!"

Salem held up a hand, cutting him off. Tears were pouring out of Tyrian's eyes.

"Ruby." Salem only needed to turn her head a fraction to address her. "I do believe your communal mission was a success, overall. Please give me your take on the situation."

Ruby looked to her left, where the Faunus was pleading with his eyes. She had no idea if her vote would truly be enough to sway Salem, who clearly knew that Tyrian had somehow failed in his mission. Ruby didn't know if this was some sort of charade and Salem was fishing for a specific answer.

Tyrian was really, really beat up about this, though. Truth be told, it was just a little bit jarring, to see the man who had played a part in exterminating an entire village reduced to such a aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand suddenly Ruby knew what her choice was.

"Tyrian," she softly whispered.

Salem couldn't hear it, but Ruby knew she could tell she wasn't supposed to.

"Tyrian, do you truly wish for me to lie to our queen? Is that what you really want me to do? To deceive her?"

The scorpion Faunus let out a pained wail and shook his head.

Ruby turned back to Salem and shrugged. "I think that's what you needed from me."

The Grimm Queen stood up. With a flick of her hand, the door that the Grimm dog had shut just moments prior burst out, opening with a huge thud. Salem walked forward passing in between Ruby and Tyrian on her way to the exit. A simple touch to the shoulder was all Ruby needed to know that Salem wanted her to come with her. Tyrian received no such touch.

The Faunus let loose a pained wail and pounded one fist into the ground as the duo departed without him, not stopping even as the door closed.

"I wasn't joking when I told you I was going to send you somewhere warmer," Salem explained as they walked. "Hazel has begun scouting the jungles of Mistral for Raven's tribe. I want you to accompany him."

"M-My q–"

Salem shook her head before Ruby could even figure out just what she wanted to ask. "You will be doing nothing but scouting. My intent in sending you is to have Hazel teach you how to operate stealthily, without attracting attention to yourself. Doubtless, the White Fang could not have imparted that particular talent upon you."

"And when…and if we find them?"

"Then we shall mark their location on a map for the future," Salem said, not breaking stride as they turned a corner. "You needn't worry I'm going to pit you up against the trained Spring maiden, Ruby. I find myself approving of your plan to work your way up, one at a time. And to that end…"

They entered into an empty room save for a single Seer and a few candles. Ruby was uncomfortable with the lack of light, and her instincts told her not to enter in after Salem for all the cookies in the world.

As Salem came within range, the Seer rose up slightly, and an image of Cinder appeared within it. Her eyes were downcast.

"Your grace. Lady Rose."

Just as quickly as she'd entered, Salem turned around to leave. "Well. I'll leave you both to it."

Ah. Ruby had demanded regular updates from Cinder, and Salem had taken the initiative to set up the first one.

"Cinder, it's good to see you. Er, hear from you, I guess. No, wait, I actually am seeing you."

Cinder's eyes remained pointed at the floor as she knelt. "Miss Rose."

"So, what've you got for me? Didja find Amber yet?"

"No," Cinder said. "But I have made progress!" she quickly added.

"I'm all ears."

"The Fall maiden's name is Amb…wait, how did you –"

Shit.

Shit.

"Raven mentioned it to me before we fought. She thought I already knew."

Shit.

Ruby held her fingers steady, despite their desperate desires to twitch.

Shit…

"Of course. F-Forgive my impertinence. Amber's name and identity have been made known to us. Using stolen records of her old team in Beacon, we were able to ascertain what manner of weapon she used…a plain staff with a single Dust crystal embedded at the top. The crystal in question must be custom crafted and only has a handful of vendors within the kingdoms knowledgeable enough to produce them. All of them are in Vale and under my surveillance."

"So it's only a matter of time before Amber is found," Ruby said. "Do you know how long?"

"I…I…it could be…"

"This isn't a trick question, Cinder," Ruby said. "I want to know how long I have to prepare. It would actually be better if its longer."

"It could be up to a year, then. The Dust crystal is so difficult to make because it is a carefully carved amalgamation of rare naturally-occurring mixed types of Dust. As such, it is incredibly versatile and can last between six to twelve months depending on how judiciously is used and with what skill level. Due to the rustic nature of the craftsmen and craftswomen's shops, no digital or paper records are kept, so we cannot know how long ago the crystal was made or how much use it has endured since then. Asking the vendors directly risks tipping Amber off that she is being actively hunted. Please, Lady Rose, know that I have weighed the risks and exhausted every option beyond waiting it out."

"I understand. Keep at it, and see if you can find me any other leads."

The Seer's appearance faded to black, and Ruby made her way out of the creepy séance room as quickly as possible. Salem wasn't waiting for her when she exited, so she decided to get a breath of fresh air on one of the landing bays outside of the castle.

At this point, Ruby had spent a little bit more time with the White Fang than at Evernight, but she still recognized the Grimmlands as the base of her operations and considered it home for the time being. Once she'd gotten over the revulsion of allying with the Grimm, it was actually quite interesting to peruse the architecture and watch the daily operations of a castle staffed by Grimm. As a huntress, Ruby had always been interested in learning more about them as a kid, and even though is used to always have been in the context of destroying them at the time, her curiosity remained.

It was mostly Seers that did the housework and things, but Salem occasionally made these ghostly black arms shoot out of the ground when she needed something handle immediately and a Seer wasn't available. Beowolves and more common Grimm roamed the lands outside, and Salem had a special entrance when their presence was needed indoors for things like training or tasks requiring great strength. The bed in Ruby's own room had actually been carried there in the mouth of a small Creep.

There were also these totally gnarly pools of flowing black liquid outside that spawned Salem's Grimm armies. She could improve the speed at which they grew from the ooze by sitting around them and sometimes dipping her hands in, but Salem typically had better things to do. There were already billions of Grimm roaming the world (and probably half stored locally at Evernight), and it was unlikely that a handful more would be turning the tide.

The castle itself was also probably alive in some way, although Salem didn't seem to be able to spy on its residents. Ruby had figured that one out herself, recalling back when Cinder had been at odds with Ruby and Salem had needed the hound to watch over them both. If Salem could see through the walls as eyes, she wouldn't have needed her pet to attend at all.

Still, she exited the castle and sat herself down on the ledge of one of the bullhead docks to afford herself some privacy. Just because Salem couldn't spy on Ruby with the castle itself didn't mean there were no other ways to keep an eye on Ruby within the boundaries of her domain.

Flipping open her scroll, she dialed Cinder's number.

"Miss Rose? How may I serve?"

"Are we private? Can Watts or anyone else hear what we discuss?"

Cinder shook her head. "Salem had these scrolls designed by Watts himself with explicit orders that he not be able to spy on them. She oversaw their construction personally, and he's smarter than disobeying such a clear order."

"Great. Look, I'm just calling to let you know how it is. How it really is."

"M-My lady, I –"

"I'm not going to be like Salem. I don't care for groveling or displays of obedience or whatever. The only reason I did all that stuff was because Salem wanted to see you put down. All I care for are results. Find the maiden for me, and we're good."

"I'm glad to hear it, my lady."

"I'm serious about this, Cinder. I didn't much appreciate how you tried to manipulate me, but I made it sound like it bothered me a lot more than it did so Salem would buy that I'm punishing you."

"I…I do believe I have yet to apologize for that. I truly do –"

"No. You truly don't. But that doesn't matter. Cinder, let me speak in a language you will understand. You really do belong to me…so that means if you have the maiden powers, they're under my control."

"Salem said –"

"When I've got the powers of the Fall and Spring maidens firmly in my grasp, I'll be stronger than any other living being, our queen excluded. That means I'll be able to kill Summer with no issue. Once I'm three maidens, there will be no risk of anyone stealing my power away from me. I'll let you have Winter up in Atlas when that time comes, for I'll have no reason to fear you usurping me with but a single maiden's powers to my three. Consider it…motivation."

"But…"

"I'll deal with Salem. You've already seen how I can."

"I…w-well, if you're sure."

The promise of power was too tantalizing to someone like Cinder, even though any sane woman would've decided the risk to her life wasn't worth it. It would encourage Cinder to perform, but it wouldn't matter in the long run. By the time Ruby had killed Raven, she would be long gone.

Ruby could go into debt for the entire world to Cinder if she had no intention of paying it.

Ruby was given a few days off before joining Hazel. Out of a sheer bodily need to recover, she spent the first one as a break, sleeping for most of the time and letting herself heal. She also made use of the amenities that the White Fang hadn't had, such as a shower, clean clothes, and hot food.

The castle was empty save for her, Salem, and Tyrian. While the second of those three typically kept to herself, doing who knew what, the last was moping around. For his failure, Tyrian was receiving the silent treatment, and it was surprisingly effective. Ruby knew Salem was no stranger to torturing her minions when they underperformed, so the fact that she thought ignoring Tyrian was a better to inflict misery upon him said something about the man's devotion to her.

The second day, she considered training, but it felt so…so…weak. She's just run the gauntlet with the White Fang, going head to head with quite possibly thousands of robots and a full squad of huntsmen. To just mutilate a few Grimm seemed like a step backwards.

It's gonna be tough to be a normal huntress after this. I've read about hunters who retire into the police force and end up exploding at every little thing. I wonder if I'll be the first one to do it from one level up.

In the end, Ruby had asked the Seers to send her their biggest, baddest Grimm to fight. Some practice would be better than being idle.

When a medium-sized Leviathan, nearly smashed the entire Grimm entry doors and compromised the structural integrity of the castle as a whole, Ruby decided to ask Salem to start her next mission early.

Ruby had never flown a bullhead before, but because there was no one to escort her this time, she had to learn fast. Watts had sent her some instructions and given her a brief crash course over the scroll, but when she got into the pilot's seat, all that Ruby could remember was the crash part of it.

I hope that Salem doesn't mind the broken windows. Or the dent in the side of her castle. Or the ravine I dug in the dirt for about a mile before figuring out how to increase my elevation.

Ruby didn't know much about Hazel, the man she was going to be joining. He and Watts were the two members of the team she hadn't interacted with all that much. In fact, between her time at Evernight and the trip to Ovais, Ruby had spent more time with the hound than either of them combined.

It's good to learn from many different people. If I just studied under one person or specialized in one type of fighting, I'd stagnate. Stealth is something I should be good at, given how small and lithe I am.

Who knew? Maybe Hazel would be less insane than everyone else.

"…and when he reincarnates for the eighth time, o-ho-ho, that's when I'll truly break out the big guns! I'm gonna tear whatever little baby boy he reincarnates into limb from limb, and then when the torso bit of him finally recovers enough to feel pain once again, I'll feed him to a pack of hyenas I trained."

"Cool, cool." Ruby had stopped listening to all the things Hazel planned to do to Ozpin by around the third death he had described in vivid detail. "So, about the thing we're supposed to –"

"Don't get me wrong, child, I appreciate your hard work in slaying that monster. You have my gratitude for that. But killing him without torturing him just seems like such a waste. Which is why I've been bulk investing heavily in vats of acid. You see, it's not the volume that matters as much as it is the pH resistance –"

"Mr. Rainart, aren't I supposed to be, I dunno, learning stealth from you? Aren't we gonna track some bandit down and follow them back to base?"

Hazel spread his arms out wide. "Unless you see a member of the Branwen tribe around for us to interrogate, I think that's not an option."

"Well, can't we do something other than just walk around in circles? Spar?"

"We'd attract too much attention with the noise."

Great. So Ruby's time wasted here was about as useful as time wasted in the Grimmlands. At least there, she might've been able to practice against Grimm or something, or at least not roast like a potato in the sun.

The pair of them were currently trekking through the woods with no direction or end in sight. After just barely managing to land her airship in one piece, she had spent several hours trying to track down the man's homing beacon, only to realize two hours into her chase that he was moving away from her.

He was very clearly annoyed by Ruby due to her relentless questions, but she was getting kind of fed up with him, so it balanced out. Together, they were two unhappy campers.

"Where are we even going?"

"It's not where we're going but that we're not staying in one place for too long. These lands aren't safe."

Well, that might sound like the knowledge of an elder for Ruby to learn. "Care to elaborate?"

"No," he succinctly replied. "Now, back to the vats of acid…"

Suppressing a groan, Ruby massaged her forehead and followed after the giant as he trudged through the trees.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Sneak Level

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #382 – Playing rock paper scissors with a friend? Tell them to choose paper, then go with scissors for yourself. You'll never lose.

Chapter Text

"Look, Hazel, we're not gonna find them if we keep going around in circles. I may not be much of a tracker, but I can recognize my own footprints."

"Hazel, is it now?" The big guy's arms folded. "Whatever happened to Mr. Rainart?"

"Does it matter what I call you more than the fact that we've been going around for days without even as much as a glimpse of any other people, let alone bandits?"

Hazel shook his head and continued ahead, climbing over a fallen tree that Ruby recalled seeing just an hour ago. She could even see the notch in it where Crescent's tip had clipped it.

"Maybe we should find some people. Merchants, a traveling caravan, I dunno, anyone! If we follow them, or even find a village, we're more likely encounter Raven's tribe when she raids them than just hoping to bump into them by sheer luck."

Hazel stopped and fixed her with a disapproving glare. "If you think you can do better than me, you're welcome to go out on your own."

"Okay," Ruby said. She turned around and started to march in the direction of a faint dirt road, or at least the direction she thought it was in.

A hand grabbed her before she could make it more than ten feet. "That wasn't an offer. You must stick by my side. This, her grace has decreed."

Ruby seriously considered wrestling free of his grip and breaking out on her own, but in the end, she decided to stick with him. Hazel might be acting like an idiot, but there had to be some expertise hidden beneath that thick beard of his or he wouldn't have been kept around by Salem this long. She just hoped it was going to show itself before her feet blistered up.

The entire day was a waste. Ruby had begun to mentally map the pattern in which they moved, just to alleviate her boredom, and she'd figured out that his gradual curving had been moving then in a giant pair of figure eights, making a four-leafed clover.

The broke camp when the sun set. Hazel had spoken about them breaking up shifts for a night watch, but Ruby had just sent her Scarab out onto a tree branch and told it to wake her if it saw anything. As a Grimm, it had no need for sleep and no sense of boredom. Plus, Ruby was fairly certain it had some sort of mental connection to her, and she hoped it might be enough that she would wake up automatically when the beetle caught a whiff of danger.

Hazel, of course, had been extremely resistant to anything that made sense. "If it dies, what will you do then?"

"Get a new one from Salem," she'd said back, proud that he had no retort to that. It wasn't like they were planning to go out and fight any maidens. Even if they did find Raven, Ruby knew engaging her would be a fool's errand. She wasn't planning on making the same mistakes as last time.

Only new ones, like listening to a wilderness guide who seems to think our goal is to draw pictures viewable by satellite with our footprints' paths.

Just in case Grubbie wasn't loud enough to wake her, Ruby decided to sleep under the stars. If Atlas was the world's ice-chest, Mistral had to be its thermos, as it was warmer than warm even as autumn rolled in.

As Ruby lay in her sleeping bag, doing her best to pretend Hazel wasn't doing his best to pretend she didn't exist, Ruby couldn't help but wonder how her life had taken such a turn for the worse. Aiding the people she hated, helping the White Fang hurt good men and women serving their kingdom, humoring a big fat loser's search for a short thin loser maiden…self-sacrifice had seemed so good when it was an idea, but looking back, she genuinely had to ask herself is she truly would have said something different to Goodwitch with the benefit of hindsight.

It doesn't change anything, but it matters to me.

I would still say yes.

I would.

The world's in danger. If Salem gets the Spring maiden, she already has Lionheart and access to Haven. Getting the relic there would mean she gets all three other maidens and all their relics too. My comfort is a small sacrifice for so much at stake.

I would say yes. That's my final answer.

The fact that Ruby was still here, doing what she could to see her mission through, was proof. With that question answered, Ruby fluffed up her pillow and closed her eyes.

Her eyes opened, and she saw her own body.

She saw her campfire, she saw her sleeping bag, she saw Hazel as he glared at Ruby and shook his head…she saw everything.

Ruby looked down and saw a tree branch.

Grubbie! I'm…I'm seeing through his eyes! I'm controlling him!

Woah, this is so cool! I knew we had some kind of mental connection!

She could feel Grubbie's beetle legs, her beetle legs, scratching against the bark of the tree on which she'd perched him before going to bed. Everything about this was awesome – she instinctively knew how to control six limbs and two antennae at once to move about and feel her surroundings. She couldn't explain it, the new way she instantly commanded her warped body to obey with the same ease that her bipedal human form had possessed, but it worked, and she wasn't going to question it.

Hazel was still awake, so Ruby had time to test out the limits of her Scarab's…whatever this was. Astral projection? No, that would be her ghost, and she was still inside a physical body. Warging? No, I don't want to tag this as crossover with Game of Thrones. Animal familiars? That didn't seem to fit.

She decided to settle on calling it sleepbeetling, because she wasn't creative and it was too late at night to think of something better.

The scientific method dictated that she form a hypothesis, isolate all variables but one, and repeatedly gather evidence on that variable's effect as a method of validating that hypothesis, so Ruby ran out into the forest to see if she could find the Branwens.

Hazel has no clue I'm doing this! This is so awesome!

Traveling as Grubbie was a whole lot slower, given his tiny legs, but he was free to go in whichever direction he pleased, and that made it worth it all. She recalled seeing some vague signs of human activity in the eastern corner of the forest – all of the berries plucked from a bush, but with no damage to the plant – and so that would be the first thing she investigated.

As long as I set aside enough time for Grubbie to crawl back home before my real body wakes up, there's nothing that could go wrong. He's too small to be seen by any hunters, Grimm won't react to him, and I can catch up on my sleep while sleepbeetling at night. Plus, I'm armored with Grimm bone, so even if a bird or something tries to snatch me up, I could just kill it and drop back down. It's a win-win for everyone, 'cept the bird.

Hazel might not have taught her much, but that didn't mean Ruby hadn't learned anything in Mistral.

As a Grimm, Grubbie didn't get tired, which made scuttling around on the leaves and grass a continuous process. There were some times when she encountered obstacles in her path too high to jump over or too steep to climb, like a deer carcass and a tree stump, but she found that the forest floor always had a different path if she paid enough time and looked close enough to find it.

The stars and moon gave her light, and Ruby found the bush within half an hour.

Okay. Tracking time. I guess…I look for tracks?

She wasn't an expert or anything, but the logic seemed clear enough. Animal tracks would be proof that the berry bush wasn't worth investigating, but human tracks might give her a bearing for her next quest.

The only problem was that the ground wasn't mud or sand, meaning that there were no visible tracks.

Hmmm…this is a tough one. I guess I'll look around the nearby area for other clues. If I can't find anything in a ten-meter radius that piques my interest, I'll give up and look somewhere else.

As Ruby set about to scaling a tree by piercing its bark with her sharp beetle toes, she wondered just how far she could take sleepbeetling…wait, beetlewalking! That was so much better. Anyways, she wondered what the limits of beetlewalking were. Like, if she died in the beetle, did she die in real life? Would it only work for Grubbie, or was it any Scarab that Salem bonded to her? Could Cinder do it? C-Could she sneak into Raven's camp and steal the maiden powers in her sleep?

At the top of the tree, Ruby looked out. It was so bizarre, for the sights were all the same that she'd seen during the day, but everything was different – much bigger, and also quite a bit more colorful. Ruby had read that sharks could pick up on different colors than humans, and it appeared that Scarabs could do the same as well. Or was that dogs that could see the extra colors? Ruby couldn't remember.

She needed to focus. Tonight would only last so long, and she probably oughta take it easy on her first time beetlewalking.

I could leave the beetle somewhere and then just pick it up when I'm awake and my stride isn't 1.2 centimeters, but who knows if Hazel's going to march us in the opposite direction just to screw with me. I think it's best that I recall Grubbie every night before it gets bright.

Ruby couldn't see anything that struck her as out of the ordinary. No broken branches, no path of shrubbery pushed aside, no litter left behind by a careless bandit mook. Rats!

It wasn't a problem. This was just her first foray into scouting, and it would've been a miracle if she'd found a trail that led her to Raven. Hell, it would've been a miracle if she'd found a trail leading her to a wild head of cabbage, given how inexperienced she was at this whole thing. But the night was young, and after a boring day, Ruby's appetite for adventure was starved.

"You seem awfully chipper," Hazel had said, noticing Ruby brightly eat her breakfast ration pack.

Ruby nodded. "I had a wet dream last night."

Hazel immediately paled at that, clammed up, and looked away, no longer eager to pursue that conversation. Ruby knew how adults worked, and this wasn't the first time she'd weaponized polluting her innocence as a shield to avoid tougher conversation.

That's basically why I've been hired by Salem – to weaponize my innocence.

"So, where're we going today?" Ruby asked. "Gonna cover the same ground again?"

"No," Hazel declared. "We're going to head further inland. It's unlikely that Raven will keep her tribe close to the capital city, so we shall head westward. Argus would also be a likely deterrent, excluding the north. If anything, I'd venture a guess that she's further south, closer to Menagerie."

"Menagerie? Does Raven like Faunus or something?"

Hazel shook his head. "A bandit's bread and butter is a land of rich commerce, and that is one of the few aspects of civilization humans wish to share with the island. Her people would benefit greatly for raiding merchants who ship goods between the mainland and the Faunus kingdom."

"Faunus kingdom?" Ruby asked.

Hazel look at her funny. "Is Menagerie a part of Mistral?"

"No," Ruby answered.

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Atlas? Vale? Vacuo?"

Ruby shook her head.

"Then it must be its own kingdom."

She couldn't argue with that logic.

Everything was easier once the next step became clear. Ruby would just scout out locations of interest during the day and use Grubbie to investigate further at night. Instead of pestering Hazel with questions, she would just keep her eyes open and leave him to his own devices…mostly.

A few pestering questions will be necessary, just to avoid him noticing any big behaviors in changes. It wouldn't do for him to learn about my beetlewalking.

Ruby had figured out the trick for how to deceive people – just keep acting like you always did, and react the way you normally would. Don't force it, but don't go out of your way to appear inconspicuous. The least sus Ruby Rose was the normal Ruby Rose.

"How far south are we going?" she asked.

"Far enough."

"Oh, is there gonna be a beach?"

Hazel sighed defeatedly. "Not that far."

Over the course of the day, Ruby found three particular things that piqued her interest and would be receiving midnight visited from her sleepytime Scarab. One of them was a shell casing of a bullet that she'd kicked, thinking it was a rock. It looked old and rusted, but it was a sign of people having been there, so it warranted another look.

The next item of note was an empty backpack that Hazel had found. The two of them had checked the surrounding area for any other clues rather thoroughly, but Ruby might have been able to find something from her different perspective if she looked closer.

Lastly, Ruby had noticed white smoke from a campfire rising up from behind a hill just before it had gotten dark. She had only barely been able to make it out through the clouds, and she'd pointed it out to Hazel. He'd said they would proceed in that direction tomorrow, but Ruby wanted to get ahead of things with some early scouting.

Tonight was a lot clearer, or perhaps the sky had better visibility in the south. It would be the perfect climate for some sneaking. As she cozied up into her sleeping bag, Ruby could barely contain her excitement. An entire night of beetlewalking awaited!

Now, just to go to sleep.

Ok. Ruby closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

Time for sleeping.

Sleep didn't come.

It was something of a catch-22, Ruby realized, after two hours spent awake. Her excitement over the prospect of going to sleep was making her heart buzz and her blood flow, and there was no way she could catch some Z's in this state.

I didn't even eat any sugar and get a rush or something! I'm just naturally hyper! Boy, this sucks big ones.

It was probably around midnight by now, but Ruby dared not check the time for fear that the brightness of her scroll would jolt her awake even more. How was she supposed to go to sleep?

Hitting her head with a rock was a surefire way, but Ruby couldn't see any rocks nearby, and Hazel himself was too busy keeping watch to help. Sleeping pills would also work in theory, but again they were unavailable to her, so she supposed not.

Plus, I have no idea if unconscious or drugged counts as sleep and would even work. I think I have to nod off the natural way.

Counting sheep, then? The highest number Ruby knew was nine-hundred and ninety-nine quadrillion plus change, but that didn't sound like something Ruby could do to wind down. She would get distracted by the sheep in her dreamscape, and what if one of them got away and she had to chase them down with her semblance and –

"That's it!" she said aloud, nearly causing Hazel to tip over from the tree trunk on which he was perched.

"What?!"

"My semblance! If I wanna fall asleep, I just gotta tire myself out even more." She caterpillar-crawled out of her sleeping bag and unruffled her clothes. "I'm gonna go for a little jogging."

Hazel held up a hand. "W–"

He was too late to stop her as she sped off into the jungle. Actually, this could be a good thing, now that she thought about it. She could save some time by running to the bullet casing or the backpack and deploy Grubbie from ground zero. Maybe she'd hold off on the smoke, just in case the sight of a huntress scared off the people that might've been making it.

It hadn't been difficult for her to memorize where the spots were. With nothing else to do all day, Ruby had run over the mnemonic trick to memorize them again and again in her head until she could recite the coordinates in her sleep.

And I will, ya know, cuz I'll be sleepwalking as a Grimm.

She arrived at the destinations a much more tired woman, and after a long day of hiking, she had a feeling that would be just what she needed.

"Guess I forgot to bring my bag," Ruby said to herself as she laid down in the grass. "But that's fine. I'll only be here for a little bit, and it's hardly cold."

It was impossible to know exactly when one fell asleep, and recalling the precise moment she awoke as Grubbie was equally impossible. Ruby was already crawling back and forth on her own shoulder when she came to, presumably from Grubbie's own mindless movements before she took over.

The bullet was first on the docket. Ruby had curled up in an empty patch of ground just to make sure she didn't soil any clues in the nearby area. Picking it up in her mandibles, she turned the small brass cylinder over and over, checking it for any indicative markings that might give away its firer's identity.

It was a plain round, the kind that was moved by Dust but contained no Dust itself. This was the type of ordnance that non-hunters used when they were on the road, as the recoil from anything more explosive could pull their shoulder out of its socket. Ruby sniffed it, only to realize that arthropods couldn't smell.

Well, that wasn't much. It removed trained huntsmen and huntresses from the pool of people who might've used it, but that still left most of the world.

If the bullet itself didn't have any clues, perhaps the nearby area did. Ruby peeled over it with a fine-toothed comb, looking for anything that might've been noteworthy.

…and this time, she actually found something! It wasn't much, but her extra sense of color from the non-visible spectrum to humans picked up some powders that were scattered on the ground. Ruby remembered looking at that same spot with her human eyes, and she hadn't seen anything, but as a Grimm, it was there.

It must be such a similar color to the ground that I just couldn't see it. Hmmm…what's a brown powder that might blend in with Mistrilian dirt?

Dust? No, humans can see that, and it tends to twinkle.

Drugs? Probably not, since they're usually white.

Cinnamon? Maybe, but what would that be doing out here in the sticks?

Hot chocolate?

Ruby turned in time to hear her real body's stomach gurgle.

I really should've eaten a bigger dinner.

"RUBY?!" Hazel's voice cried out in the direction she'd come from. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Great. Now he's gonna come and…and…

You know, all Hazel'll probably do is either set up camp around my body or carry me back to camp. I can't think of any reason why he would wake me up. There's no need for me to recall Grubbie.

Ruby scurried off in the direction of the dropped backpack.

When she got to the location of the backpack, it was gone. Ruby didn't know exactly what that meant.

It could've been something simple – a bear saw it, liked the weave, and decided to carry it off for stuffing to make its nest. These parts were full of animals, and the jungles of Mistral were everchanging landscapes.

Alternatively, whoever originally owned it might've retraced their steps and doubled back to reclaim it. That would mean tracks, except, same as last night, track didn't tend to show up on this kind of dirt floor.

Maybe Hazel had disposed of it. That didn't paint a good picture of her standing with him.

He's not bound to me like Cinder. If he decides to sabotage my efforts to lower me in Salem's eyes and thereby raise himself up, there wouldn't be any consequences. Shoot, he might even be doing it just to find a roundabout way to punish Cinder. She said they came to blows once.

It was too early to jump to conclusions. Hazel hadn't smothered her in her sleep last night, so it was unlikely he would change his mind and try again tonight. Everything else wasn't a priority and could be worked out at a later date.

But he has been slacking off for most of our time in the jungle. Is it possible that he's really trying to undermine my progress locating Raven?

…wait, what if he knows?

Ruby didn't have lungs in her beetle form, so she couldn't hyperventilate, but the sensation of panic struck her just the same. If Hazel did know about her mission with Ozpin, a man he apparently hated beyond reason, the best way to ruin her would be to drag her around in circles and ensure she never located her target.

I'm being crazy here. The best way would be to kill me.

Hazel doesn't know who I am. He can't.

Ruby focused up. She only had a limited nighttime, and thoughts like this were something she could have during the day. Right now was meant to be for scouting.

Well, if the backpack wasn't there, she might as well move on to the smoke. Ruby sped off as fast as her tiny legs could carry her in the direction of the hills.

It was actually quite fun to zoom around like this. It might be slower than her semblance, but it was like she was perpetually running an obstacle course where the obstacles were protruding sticks, leaves as big as couches, and pinecones that made Ruby feel like a, well, a bug.

The coolest part about it was that, because of her chitin armor, she was pretty much unaffected by any of those things that might poke or crush her. As she crawled along the ground, sharp pokey pine needles that would have been scaled up into small swords bounced off her abdomen like they were nothing. Ruby even intentionally knocked over a pile of rocks just to kick off the miniscule landslide.

I can do whatever I want, and nothing can impede me. It's like running around as a person with full aura that never diminishes. If I ran into a tree as a human, I'd go splat and fall over, but as a beetle, the stick breaks before I do.

She still wouldn't be able to run straight into a tree, but a stick was about the same thing if you considered its relative size to Ruby.

"…Kuo…"

The sound of a voice made Ruby halt in her tracks. It wasn't Hazel, and it certainly wasn't shouting at her. No, this voice belonged to a young man, if Ruby had to guess, one who was casually conversing.

This might be the best lead I get, but I need to be careful. If they see me and recognize me as a Grimm, they'll smush me.

Ruby had no doubt that for all her durability, even a normie's boot would be the end of her beetlewalking days. She refused to let Grubbie's light fade out like that.

Quietly t̶i̶p̶t̶o̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶i̶p̶c̶l̶a̶w̶i̶n̶g̶ tipbeetlefooting her way over, Ruby moved within the briars of a thorny shrub to get herself cover as she approached.

There was a pair of people, one human and one Faunus, sitting around a dying campfire in a makeshift pit. As it was now, nothing was coming out, but she could easily imagine it having been a great source of smoke just a few hours prior.

The Faunus was now the one speaking, and Ruby listened in.

"…don't even put it on anything. I swear, it baffles me."

The human puffed up his chest. "Well, a Mistrilian like me –"

"I'm not talking about Mistrilians," the Faunus responded. "I'm talking about humans."

"That's racist," his human companion dispassionately stated.

"You can't be racist against humans."

"Speciest, then?"

"No, you can't be discriminatory against humans. They're the dominant power on Remnant, and four out of four kingdoms have entirely human councils."

"You can't be systematically speciest against humans, then, but you can be racist individually."

"You callin' me a racist?"

"Yeah."

Both snorted.

"I assume you mean the gruesome twosome."

"Now who's bein' a racist, ya tailless ape?"

The human shrugged the insult off, and it finally sank in to Ruby that the two were just playing with one another.

"Atlas and Vale," the Faunus said, speaking again to his companion but gazing into the dying fire. "Vale and Atlas. The hearts of civilization, and not a pickled speck of civilized culture to speak of between the two of 'em. Plain, boring lumps o' land."

"Our biggest buyers," lamented the human. "And they don't even have cuisine to speak of."

"I'd take the bandits of Mistral or the sands of Vacuo any day," said the Faunus. "If only they had the money to purchase our wares in bulk."

"They actually know how to use spices," lamented the human.

Spices…that meant…

I was spot on before! It really was cinnamon that I found near the bullet!

"Damned Valeans – the only spice they know is the only one we don't sell: cinnamon."

…I'm still gonna count this as a win.

Ruby slid a little forward in her briar bush, hoping to get a better look at the two of them. The human was a younger man, probably no more than thirty, with bright red hair that was well combed and reminiscent of Adam. The Faunus, on the other hand, possessed penguin flippers for hands, which Ruby though must've made things difficult. He was a far older man, likely requiring at least two hands…er, two feet worth of toes to count the number of decades he'd lived. In spite of his odd situation regarding his digits, he was still somehow whittling a piece of wood using a knife, carving a little castle out of it.

"Bah. Give me the sand dunes over the banditry of Mistral. I say we pack our bags and move."

The Faunus regarded his young companion curiously. "Oh? And when was the last time we ran into bandits?"

That got an embarrassed shirk.

"You know they only run in the north. The Grawl tribe can operate in the shadow of Argus because that fieldmouse they call a commander can't be bothered to police her own land, the Nisiens rule the coastline, and the –"

"Aye, you don't need to remind me who owns the land."

But, like, you should. So that I can hear it.

"Kent, you're like a son to me, so I'm trying to remind you just why we do this. Our partnership is a well-oiled machine, with me taking on the Faunus of Menagerie for imports and ye dealing with Mistral. If we try and break things off, go on our fancy to Vacuo, we risk everything we've built, and in a hostile desert. We may as well wander south of the floatin' mountains for all that it'd be the death of us."

The levitating mountains to the north…I've heard of those. I know where they are!

It wasn't like it was a guarantee that Raven and her tribe were going to be there, but Ruby had heard the Faunus guy talking about bandits, only to be cut off. He had ended on 'and,' meaning he was about to say the name of the last one, probably the 'big one' if Ruby were a guessing girl.

I've made assumptions before and landed in hot water, but this will just give me a starting point. Now that I've got a clue, I can split off from Hazel to look in the north on my own. It's not like he wants me here. I know for a fact that Tyrian's not busy, so I can just ask Salem to send him my way as an escort, just to keep me safe. This won't be like before, where I approached her head on. I can learn from my mistakes.

The men had launched into some conversation about sand, how much they didn't like its coarseness and roughness. Talk of the desert was far off topic, but Ruby played it safe and listened in for another hour or so just to make sure that the old Faunus didn't circle back around to the topic of banditry. When he announced that he was turning in early and leaving his younger associate to keep first watch, Ruby turned around and headed off. Both men were none the wiser for her presence eavesdropping on them that night.

Scuttling through the forest like a bug on a mission, it didn't take longer for her to find the location of the bullet, where she'd left her human body.

It also didn't take long for her to realize that her human body wasn't where she'd left it.

Huh.

Oh, Hazel had been there. He'd been calling her name and looking for her, and judging from Ruby's own absence, he'd likely found her and moved her back to his original base camp. No matter.

For a little while Ruby's beetle legs carried her back in the direction she'd just come from until she stumbled upon the clearing in the trees. Hazel had chosen the sight for its clear visibility in all directions, lest an ambush be sprung on them. There was her backpack, and Hazel's big overcoat, still stuffed with supplies in the hidden pockets.

No body. No Hazel, either.

Well crap.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Grand Day Out

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #912 – Worried about a busy morning? Brew a pot of coffee the night prior. Before you go to bed, drink the coffee so you aren't thirsty when you wake up, thus saving you time.

Chapter Text

The sun had risen, and Ruby was still a beetle. That painted a dark picture for how reverse beetlewalking worked. Every other time that her consciousness had left her human body (actually, that was just the once), she'd returned Grubbie to her arm before waking up. It had seemed like something one just did at the time, much like putting a cup away in the cupboard to avoid losing it or having it fall out, but now she realized that it had probably been an essential part of the process of returning to normal.

I'm almost certain I would've woken up by now, and I bet Hazel's probably trying to rouse me. If I'm still beetlewalking, that means I HAVE to find my human body to stop it.

That meant finding Hazel, which meant somehow tracking despite the fact that she still had no clue how to track.

Ruby looked around for some sort of clue as to where the giant might have gone. This could work; all she needed was a single direction. From there, she could just travel in a straight line until she caught up with Hazel.

Until she caught up with a full sized human who was moving at human speeds, using her tiny little beetle legs that probably didn't move her at more than a meter every five seconds.

Oh, and there were no clues where Hazel had taken her or why.

This was going to be a problem.

For the first minute or two, Ruby had paced around nervously, until she realized that she couldn't think while she was moving. Next, she tried sitting still, but that didn't help ease the turbulent waters of her mind.

In the end, she had to shut her eyes and bury her face into the dirt just to get her disturbances out of her head. She wasn't used to being a Grimm, and it was starting to get difficult to control all of her limbs, eyes, and abnormal body parts in addition to planning ahead.

What did she do? Where did she go? North? South? Which way even was north? With her head buried, she couldn't see the sun.

Back it up a bit – think broader.

What did she want?

To get back to my body.

How did she do that?

I find it.

Why couldn't she do that?

Because…Because I don't know where it is. And I don't know where it is because Hazel moved it.

Where would Hazel move it? Why would he move it?

Imagine you're Hazel. Your adorable and well-armed sidekick Ruby Rose runs off to burn off some calories, with no mentions of beetlewalking or independent detective work. You chase after her…

Hazel had been coming up on her body when she'd run off from it. She heard his voice calling out for her before she'd gone for the backpack.

Go through the motions one at a time, Ruby.

You chase down Ruby because she wandered away from camp at night which is dangerous, and you find her. She's asleep, and you carry her body away instead of letting her rest.

Why? If she could figure out what Hazel was moving her around for, she might be able to guess where he was moving her to.

Be Hazel.

It was tough. She was already a fake spy-Ruby on top of her real personality as an undercover superhero, and now she was Grubbie – being Hazel might be one mask too many.

You find Ruby's sleeping body. Maybe…you're angry? You did seem kind of pissed that she ran off. So, you cuss her out for making you trudge through the jungle when you want to catch some rest.

…except she doesn't respond, because her consciousness is elsewhere. You shake her and shake her, but without a Scarab in her arm, she doesn't rouse, except you know nothing about Scarabs or beetlewalking.

The sequence of events became a lot clearer in Ruby's mind.

You panic. Ruby's not waking up, no matter how much noise you make or how much you shake her or how bright it gets when the sun comes up. After a certain point, you realize that something is wrong with her; this is more than just a deep slumber.

What do you do next, Mr. Hazel? Where do you take her to fix this problem with your little friend?

She seems to be in a coma, so you take her to a doctor. Settlements tend not to have them, and Mistral is too far away. The nearest kingdom, even if the other humans don't recognize it, is…

Menagerie. He was taking her to Menagerie.

The coast was to the south, and that was where Ruby headed. With her head unburied and the sun rising on her left, Ruby made a beeline for the narrow ocean strait that separated the island nation from the mainland continent.

As Ruby ran, her mind started to get more and more fuzzy. It wasn't anything bad, like not being able to remember who she was – quite the opposite. She was thinking too much, with far too many stray thoughts appearing out of thin air. She wondered if Hazel was upset with her or worried for her safety, and then a random memory of Mom spoon feeding her soup when she caught strep throat came out of nowhere, and the exact recipe from a cookbook for an extra spicy Chicken Divan meal she cooked with Dad to surprise Yang for her fifteen's birthday popped up, followed by the entire catalog of Signal's school-sponsored textbook with all their prices, ISBN numbers, and summaries.

It was stuff Ruby knew, all digging its way out of the corners of her brain, but it wasn't relevant, at least not directly. The memories felt like internet pop-ups, or even second screens of her brain, as though she had multiple streams of consciousness running in the background that she'd forgotten to minimize.

I have a human brain. I must not be supposed to keep it in a tiny beetle for more than this amount of time.

It felt like pure chaos. There was so many things just tumbling around. The thought of Grimm brought back a perfect vision of her first kill of an Ursa Major, back when she'd only been thirteen, which triggered a memory of study Grimm habitats before she'd even gotten into primary combat school, which unprompted brought to mind a poster about recycling that she'd only once glanced in passing while at the supermarket.

Still, there were some upsides. The memories seemed to be perfect, recalled in crystal clarity photographic memory with 100% accuracy. Ruby could read the recipe with such fine detail that she could probably make and serve the Chicken Divan if she had the ingredients. And, you know, wasn't a bug.

I might as well use this to my advantage. If my stray thoughts are starting to fray, I should at least maximize the benefits. It's not like I have anything else to do while I run in a straight line in the direction of the sun.

So, what could Ruby recollect? Sentimental memories of her family – particularly the fallen members – might be nice, but a phrase she'd uttered once struck her.

'Every moment in which I'm not closing in on the powers of the maidens is a moment wasted.'

There were so many things for Ruby to think about, to plan about, to get ahead on. Fluff would be a waste of time.

Raven was the first and foremost priority. Ruby knew things about her: repressed childhood memories from Yang's obsession, casually uttered phrases that Ruby had overheard from Team STQ as a child but forgotten, tiny details of her fight with –

It happened before Ruby even finished that train of thought. Thinking of the name Stark brought up a photograph of the team that Ruby had once glanced in Uncle Qrow's wallet when he'd been handing her a twenty for her birthday. That random thought diverged into three separate chains – one about the stock markets, one about the eight king of Vale who died on the same day Ruby was born many centuries prior, and one about Dad talking to Mom about Raven.

Ruby wanted to say that she chose to follow the last chain, but all three of them continued out in all directions, branching into three more paths each. Ruby was watching them all go along at once, just doing her absolute best to take in the memories of the important stuff as she went.

Raven had run off because of Yang. Well, maybe not because of Yang, but almost exactly at the time Yang had been born. The timing was too convenient for it to not have been directly related to Yang. Chewing gum could stay in the body for seven days. Dad had said that Raven herself claimed to not be cut out for motherhood, but both he and Mom really thought she was just scared. They said that was what she always was – a coward, despite her bully persona to cover that up. Mercury had a poster for a V-Pop band up in his space back at Roman's apartment. The five idols on the poster were all kneeling down in a way that made Ruby's stomach turn a little bit, less because of the poster itself and more because of what it said about Mercury as a person if that was the kind of borderline pornographic filth with which he chose to adorn his walls. Raven fled from combat when she could avoid it. She had mastered her portals, not to give herself an edge during combat and use them to move about an active battlefield, but to rapidly flee them. The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Raven's portals was known to open up to at least seven living people in the world – Dad, Mom, Uncle Qrow, Ozpin, Yang, and two others they hadn't confirmed. Three of those living people weren't actually living anymore. The mitochondria, though, it might've originally been a free-floating organelle until it entered into eukaryotic organisms some time back in the –

Silver eyes.

Ruby had silver eyes.

She wasn't sure what that memory stood out above all others, but it most certainly did, and she felt like she could be sure that it held a prize at the end, if she could ignore the stream of random intrusive echoes in her head that threatened to distract her.

She'd used her silver eyes to stun Salem when she'd gotten crazy with anger, and she remembered in full just how she'd done it. Dad handed her a receipt from the eyedoctor's with a lot of numbers on it and had mumbled something about highway robbery. Ruby had drawn a picture of a lion onto a cardboard box before Yang had taken away her markers. The entire Remnapedia entry for ceramic toilet bowls displayed in front of her, followed by an advertisement for a petstore that sold fish and fish pellets, Dad's social security number, the chemical composition of TNT, the mitochon–

The shock of cold air crashed into Ruby's face, and she was taken out of her descent into insanity. Ruby had to shake herself just to avoid going back into that rabbit hole.

She had glimpsed beyond the curtain of how Grimm thoughts were processed, and it wasn't meant to be mixed with human comprehension. Grimm were supposed to have single-track minds, with their entire life's worth of knowledge (a small amount) being rapidly called upon using chains of relevant memories. When they ran into a human with a sword, they would remember past fights with other swordsmen, and that would jog even more memories of other similar fights. In theory, it allowed them to extremely quickly sift through their small pools of experience and retrieve what might be crucial information based on relevance to the task at hand. Typically Grimm only gathered a handful of such experiences before dying.

For Ruby, though, who had fifteen years too many thoughts and memories to manage with a Grimm mind, she had come close to destroying herself. Still, it was a decent memory haul – she'd learn some about Raven's portals and personality, and about her silver eyes too. The memory of how she'd blasted Salem was hers once more, though it was more an emotional state that triggered them than any set of instructions, and she might not be able to reproduce it if she tried.

I'm not sure I want to go back to that state of mind, though, Ruby thought. She and the Sea Feilong she was riding exited the high altitudes that held the headwinds it had needed for flight and came crashing down into the forest.

Oh, there was that, too. The chain of Mercury's sexy poster had somehow pulled up some memories of seeing a wanted poster for Hazel on the wall of a police station, and she'd remembered that he was the only known member of Salem's inner circle. That had led one of Ruby's divergent brain chains to the conclusion that Hazel wouldn't be going for aid to Menagerie where he risked recognition and capture, but to Watts or Salem instead.

Her Grimm brain might've been on the brink of overloading, but it was certainly operating at 100% efficiency in the way it arrived at every conclusion simultaneously. Around the time she'd been thinking about silver eyes, she'd also figured that she might be able to communicate with Grimm and had autonomously hopped aboard the back of a Sea Feilong at the southern coast. As it turned out, she could, at least when she'd been far too close to the Grimm way of thinking. The Sea Feilong had carried her where she'd told it – to her downed airship, the one she'd c̶r̶a̶s̶h̶e̶d̶ landed when traveling from the Grimmlands to meet up with Hazel for the mission. It had impaled itself on the trees (Ruby supposed she'd 'landed' her Grimm mount as well), but she was now close enough to see her airship.

She'd also had the fortune of having glanced the bullhead piloting instructions Watts had sent her and seeing them again in her eidetic memories. The buttons were just the right size to push, when she used her entire body to do so one at a time.

Now, the only trouble was figuring out a way to tilt the stick…

"Please! I don't know what – gaaaaah!"

The steely grip of the small army of Shadow Hands did not seem like it could have grown any stronger, but at the sound of Hazel's plea, it somehow did. The behemoth of a man had his cheeks being pulled so tightly into the floor that some of the castle's stone was probably rubbing off onto his face. There may have been a time when he carried himself with something of a stoic pride, but that time was long gone. Now, he was reduced to desperate pleas for mercy that fell on deaf ears.

Cinder and Watts were watching through the Seers at their locations, having been summoned by an enraged Salem. Naturally, Cinder had shaken off her drowsiness at being roused so late at night upon realizing who was doing the rousing and raced to her goddess' beckons, and it proved to be the right instinct. From halfway across the world, Salem had started off their conversation with a solid twenty seconds of torment her via the Scarab, not for any particular disobedience but merely to reinforce the notion that this was a serious topic.

From there, Cinder had been interrogated in a quickfire deluge of questions from Salem alongside Watts, most of them concerning her whereabouts and actions the night and evening prior. Cinder had answered honestly – she was in class, then with Emerald, Mercury, and Neo keeping their cover up, and then had gone to sleep. There was no time to search for Amber, and Cinder had heard nothing regarding the staff vendors, so it was just business as usual.

For her honesty, Cinder received another forty seconds of torture followed by the same questions asked once more, this time from a screaming Salem. Through the vision of the Seer, Cinder could see what was once her home at Evernight collapsing in the background as the Grimm goddess' control lapsed.

Watts was also interrogated with the same questions, and his Seer was forced to choke him out as Salem had placed no Grimm inside his arm. Furthermore, Cinder could see Tyrian skulking in the background, hunched over like an infirm old man, but his snark was noticeably absent. The look on the scorpion's face was one of pure fear.

This isn't Salem wreaking havoc. He always loves it when she does that. This is her on the verge of losing control and destroying everything around her. What did Hazel do?

Hazel's own interrogation must've taken place before Cinder's, as she was not asking him the questions. No, Hazel was not asked any specific questions but merely ordered to confess. Cinder knew not of what sins he had been accused, but she dared not ask. She hadn't been dismissed yet, though, so she remained on the Grimm mode of communication, silent as a shadow.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT IS THIS?"

"AUUGHHH! I don't – KNNNNAAAAOOOOW!"

The Shadow Hands drove past his aura and ripped apart thin lines of blood as they did. The typical rivalry between herself and the other minions might've made this a pleasant scene, but neither she nor Watts were stupid enough to smile. They both knew the difference between scoring a point against their rivals and what was happening here.

I'm next on the chopping block, obviously, and Watts must be smart enough to realize that he isn't exempt from Salem's rampage.

Diverting her eyes from the screen briefly, she took out her scroll and sent a quick message to Watts.

Cinder: what is this

The screen didn't change for a second or two, then the dots indicating that the person on the other end was typing appeared. For a drawn out moment, those dots were Cinder's entire world, save for the agonized screams and incensed ranting.

The message appeared, hastily typed out and riddled with errors that were atypical of the normally erudite and anal-retentive.

Watts: hazwl took ruby to mitral

Watts: look for sping maidem

Watts: all i kkow

Of course. Ruby. It always looped back around to Ruby. Cinder regretted ever having snatched up the red tyke, even though it had seemed like a prime opportunity for a new well-trained minion at the time. Now, she knew that the child only brought with her peril and ruin.

It wasn't Ruby's fault, truly. She wasn't meant for this dark world, and that was the exact reason Salem had taken such delight in snatching her up. Ozpin's silver-eyed warriors were among his most valued possessions, and to have one in her grasp was Salem's grand goal. That was why she continued wasting time on that accursed hound, in spite of its inability to complete the most basic of tasks.

Salem wanted Ruby to bend, but she was the type that would break first. When that happened (if Hazel had not already facilitated it), Cinder's life would end. Thus, the task of keeping Ruby from losing her mind fell to Cinder, as an extension of the lethal huntress' own desperate desire for self-preservation. And given how poorly she seemed to be faring in the fight against the kingdoms that had loved and nurtured her, it would be no easy task.

On the more immediate note, Cinder needed to figure out what was wrong with Ruby here and now. If Hazel had gotten her injured…

No. It's not that. Cinder suppressed a shudder by focusing on logic. Were she wounded, Salem would not be asking after my actions or trying to rip an admission of guilt from Rainart. She's searching for something.

Had he lost her? If she'd wandered off in the jungle doing something Rubyishly inane, Salem would want her back and within her clutches as quickly as possible.

But why would Hazel fly back to Evernight and turn himself in to Salem? If that were the case, I'd expect him to just keep searching for her and 'forget' to report it. I spoke to her just two nights ago – assuming he lost her the second she landed on Anima (which is possible), he would probably feel comfortable searching for longer than that before calling Salem for help.

Cinder coughed. It went unheard over the screams.

Her eyes saw motion, and she saw the three dots on her scroll. Watts, no doubt, warning her not to lift her head up and draw back Salem's attention to her Seer (and his own). However, he wasn't the one who'd been explicitly told to protect Ruby at all costs.

"Your grace," she said in a loud volume. She wanted to whisper it meekly, but her goal was to attract Salem's attention, and she succeeded on that front.

The half-deity on the other end snapped its neck upwards. Her skin was almost entirely black, and the veins that normally stayed near her neck were now pumping and coursing across her entire body. The same black blood was dripping from her mouth; whether that was from her teeth clenching into her lips or a side effect of her rage, Cinder knew not.

"GRAH!"

Cinder dropped her head in deference. "Your grace, remember that I am your loyal servant!"

"YyyyyyyyyoOouUUu–"

"Remember that you have thoroughly incentivized me to protect Lady Rose with my life!"

Salem bit her bottom lip with such temper that the flesh was ripped apart by her own teeth and torn off.

"I only wish to help. I am nothing without you, your grace. Is Lady Rose missing?"

The rage didn't fade, but Salem shook her head from side to side. Sensible speech was probably just out of her reach in this state. Instead, she merely snapped her fingers with a rabid growl, and a wave of Shadow Hands dragged in an motionless body.

Oh, shit. Oh, shit!

If Rose was dead, Cinder was too.

…but she wasn't.

Salem had seen Cinder, spoke to her, tortured her even, but she hadn't killed her. The goddess was many things, but forgetful was not one of them.

If I'm still alive, that means so is she.

"Her heart beats?"

Salem snarled.

Hazel answered. "She's alive! She just…fell asleep!"

Salem turned back on him, and the man began to resume his pleas for mercy. Cinder, meanwhile, took the time to ponder Ruby's condition.

Falling asleep, unable to wake up…it could be a medical condition, but Ruby hasn't shown any signs of narcolepsy, and I've never heard of it lasting for more than short times.

Mistral is full of infectious diseases and vermin to spread them, but her aura would show signs of strain as her bodies tries to fight it off, whether or not its successful.

A hostile semblance? It could be.

They had gone hunting Branwens. Perhaps if one of Raven's hunters had attacked Ruby with a power to push her from the waking world…

"Your grace," Cinder said, cutting off the sounds of torture.

"WHAT?" she screamed, throwing her fists down in anger like a child throwing a tantrum. Behind her, in the Seer's sight, a window exploded outwards, raining glass outwards.

"Was Lady Rose in Hazel's line of sight when she entered this state?"

Salem turned back to Hazel, who frantically shook his head.

"If you were in Mistral with the express purpose of ascertaining the location of the Spring maiden, it is possible, perhaps even likely, that Ruby encountered one of their scouts or warriors and in now the subject of a semblance induced coma."

"Impossible!" roared Hazel, desperate. "That's not possible!"

"FIX IT!" Salem raged. "I NEED HER! I WANT HER TO HURT OZMA! IT HAS TO BE HER!"

"If we found the Branwen that did this –"

"It wasn't bandits!" said Hazel. "It couldn't be them!"

Salem fixed her glare upon him and bent over, gripping his forehead in her palms. "YOU DID THIS!"

"No, I swear, I did not, your grace. I don't know what's wrong with her, but we were nowhere near anyone for miles!"

"You were out searching for the Branwen tribe," Cinder offered. "It's likely there were some nearby, even if you didn't see them. We should devote our resources to finding the bandit huntsmen or huntress that froze Lady Rose."

"nnnnn…"

Cinder's head shot up at the faint sound, as did Hazel's in spite of the Grimm limbs holding him to the floor. Even Salem snapped around at the whimper.

"…nnnnnnnno need." Ruby sat up and rubbed at her head. "That's better. Anyways, as I was saying, there's no need to find the Branwens. I have a heading: the Levitating Mountains of North Mistral. While I was out, I had the bright idea to order some Beowolves to check for me and save time. They found the tribe there and then charged in recklessly to die so that Raven would think they were mindless, not controlled. It was the most efficient way."

The rooms fell silent, no one truly sure how to react. Salem's dark black veins began to recede from her body, and the Shadow Arms holding Hazel slackened.

"Ohhhh, my head. Man, who says Grimm are mindless? They use their minds to 100%, even if they're a lot smaller. Remind me not to do that again – I'm feeling phantom mandibles right now." She looked up at the Grimm Queen staring at her. "Oh, thanks for opening the window for me. I was waiting outside. By the way, the bullhead I used needs refueling. Oh, and also, I figured out a way to find the Fall maiden a lot faster."

Coming Soon – Ruby's One Question

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #848 – In the mood for some quality reading material that you can really get into? Then what the hell are you doing here?

Chapter Text

"Pay close attention, Cinder."

The vision of Ruby's underling sputtered in confusion from the other side of the Seer. Ruby was still coming down from her beetlewalking high, so her mind was still getting used to normal human thoughts. Thus, she couldn't quite process what Cinder's problem was.

Heck, she had no idea why everyone was just staring at her like she'd grown a new head. All she'd done was crawl back into her arm, wake up, and report on what she'd found. Even Tyrian was looking at her as though she were speaking in tongues.

"So, Amber. It's actually a sequence of ideas, more things that you can do in your spare time to find her. We know her weapon is a staff that's custom made by vendors, meaning it probably has unique or at least rare properties. If you were to purchase an equivalent spear from one of the artisans who produce them – ideally the least likely one Amber would have used, to avoid tipping her off – you could test out the staff. Determining its uses and its effects might give us some clues as to what purpose it serves, and where Amber would be safest with such a weapon. For instance, if it produces fire, it's unlikely she'd travel through drylands or other flammable environments. You could also monitor hunter missions and see if any battleground have damage consistent with its impact."

Ruby gave Cinder a moment to confirm that she understood. Cinder, however, did not nod in approval at her superior's commands. Odd – Ruby thought she understood the food chain.

There was a raw growl thrown out from behind Ruby. Turning around, she saw Hazel covered in minor lacerations. Salem seemed to have been torturing him prior to her arrival, so this was presumably the result. As expected, of course; when he took her body to the Grimm Queen, she would indubitably assume he was at fault. Ruby had figured that one out on the airship ride over, among many other things.

"What did…why? I was tortured because you didn't wake!"

"The moment has passed," Ruby said, turning back to the Seer containing Cinder's image. "You're not being tortured anymore. Just don't think of the memory of the pain, and it's like it never happened."

Hazel flex his muscles as he rose. "If you think –"

"Get ahold of yourself. Your aura was broken by Queen Salem, and you lost your immunity to pain. I understand that you're unused to it and thus out of sorts, but please recall that I am freshly rested and at full aura. I would advise against picking this fight, Rainart."

That actually made his jaw fall, but he picked it up real quick. The typically stoic man hadn't experience pain in years probably, so feeling it so suddenly and brutally at Salem's hands must've been especially agonizing.

He…He probably needs a moment.

Human emotions were slowly returning to Ruby as she shook off her Grimm ones, and she began to understand more and more about why everyone was behaving so strangely.

"I apologize, though, for your needless suffering. I found that I possess the ability to enter the mind of my Scarab when I sleep. I used it for scouting out the Branwens, but I was unable to wake until my Scarab returned to my body. This was why I remained unconscious, not because of any sabotage or betrayal."

Salem had previously looked more like a Grimm than a human woman, but now she was nearly back to normal. Ruby met her eyes and dropped to one knee.

"Forgive me for any disturbance my absence caused, your grace."

Salem's breathing was heavy, and she herself seemed to be slightly…slowed. Her movements were less deliberate, and she seemed to still be collecting herself in the wake of her rage-induced transformation. "Hmm. I…see. This Grimm control –"

"I had complete control of my Scarab, and I could converse with other Grimm in a rudimentary way. Essentially, I could explain my intentions, and they would obey. It wasn't as firm a control as yours. Had they been preoccupied, such as seeing a human and feeling the need to kill it, I would've had nothing. They merely had no objections, not even to dying."

Salem nodded. "I suppose that wouldn't matter to a Grimm. Now, the Fall maiden? You had…ideas related to her?"

Ruby turned back to Cinder. "When I killed Ozpin and Qrow, she was recalled. Her only point of contact in Vale is now Glynda Goodwitch, from whom she must be receiving instructions. Monitoring her channels of communication would be to your benefit."

Salem smiled and folded her hands in front of her. Her voice had steadied, and she seemed to be back in control of herself. "You seem to have given this quite a bit of thought. Perhaps –"

Ruby shook her head before Salem even finished the thought. "Bad idea, your grace. I'm pretty sure I came close to losing my mind when I was Gr…when I was in my Scarab for more than a night's rest. I don't think it's worth the risk to use it for more than short missions, outside of emergencies."

"So be it." Salem faced the Seer. "Cinder. Enact Ruby's ideas. Find her maiden. See her will executed."

Cinder nodded, and the image disappeared. The other Seer, one Ruby hadn't even realized was there, also turned back to normal.

That must've been Watts. I guess that means everyone knows about my beetlewalking.

Ruby looked back to Hazel.

He probably hates me for having to take the blame after I wandered off. He already must've had a solid dislike of me for annoying him when we were on our mission. I had better watch my back around him.

To his credit, Hazel knelt down at Salem's feet respectfully. "Your grace."

Ruby saw that some of the scratches on his body were slowly starting to heal.

His aura's back up. That means he isn't feeling pain and is probably feeling like normal again.

"It would appear I owe you an apology," said Salem.

"There is no need. My life is yours."

"I shall offer it nonetheless. Forgive my haste in assuming your culpability."

Hazel nodded. "As long as young Ruby is safe. That is what truly matters."

The big guy rose and departed, but not before giving the duo of women one last look. His face, despite being bloodied and sporting a split lip, was the picture of calm neutrality. If any lingering resentment in Ruby's general direction was felt, he certainly was disguising it well.

"Leave us, Tyrian."

Ruby noticed the Faunus perk up at being acknowledged (he was in the doghouse with Salem over his failure in Atlas last she saw), but he complied without any words.

After a suitable amount of time to let Tyrian clear away, Salem offered Ruby her forearm. "Please, walk with me, Ruby."

Ruby nodded. "Your grace."

The two of them exited from the membrane door that separated the room in which Hazel had been tortured from the main hallway. It had actually been a rather large room, presumably to give Salem room to throw Hazel around.

For a long while, probably around 10 minutes, the pair of them just walked through the castle, arm in arm. Not a word was said between the two of them.

After realizing that Salem wasn't speaking, Ruby took the time to organize her thoughts. She'd been in beetle mode for a long time, and upon coming out of it, she'd momentarily been less human than she was inhuman.

I woke up to the scene of Salem raving like a madwoman and started talking about my mission to find the Branwens and refueling airships. I must've sounded like a lunatic.

To be honest, in that moment of just switching back, she had been more and less of an animalistic beast than ever before. Her emotions were nearly gone, and cold cruel logic had been moments away from taking over. It had enabled Ruby to figure out how to rig a series of cables to give her tiny beetle form the means to twist the stick of the ship, but it had also sapped her of a lot of what made her Ruby. As it all came back, she could only look upon the way she'd felt with disgust.

Abruptly, Salem spoke. "Has it been long enough for you to come to terms with what you became?"

"Hmmm?"

"Ruby, I am in the mind of every Grimm. While I did not hear your thoughts as I was not actively listening for them, I know what it is to think like a monstrosity. I understand, my child."

Ruby nodded cautiously. She wasn't sure just how guarded she should be about this.

"I am both a human and a Grimm, Ruby. The change in my skin when I was in a passionate state just moments ago was not merely cosmetic. There are two halves that make up my whole. Do you understand?"

She honestly had no clue what Salem was going on about, but she nodded anyways.

"The reason I was enraged so thoroughly was because I thought you were lost to me, and I mistakenly applied the blame to Hazel. Still, it appears as though the first assumption nearly came true."

"Don't you, I dunno, want me to become evil? Like, if I were a Grimm…"

Salem chuckled at that in a most human way. The veins had nearly retracted, and if Ruby couldn't see her eyes, she might've mistaken the Grimm overlady for a pale woman who'd just stayed out of the sun for too long.

"If your mind were lost and you became a savage Grimm, it would be as equally meaningless as if your heart stopped beating. You're smart enough to know that my protectiveness over you was not out of some misplaced maternal…huh, maternal desire to safeguard you. My interest in you is to see Ozpin's empire crumble at the hand of his willingly turned enforcer – the keyword being willingly. The satisfaction of the victory would come from knowing that he lost your loyalty to me, not from the carnage you inflict itself. No – from knowing that you choose to give up your loyalty to me. If it were otherwise, I would save time and kill you, then batter Ozpin's forces to death with your corpse and claim that you were the instrument of my victory."

Ruby nodded again, kind of following along. Salem wanted Ozpin to give in to despair from the knowledge that cute little Ruby Rose had gone over to the dark side and brought death and destruction to Remnant by gathering Salem's relics.

There was one thing left to ask, though.

"How come you want me?" Ruby asked. "What is it that makes you think Ozpin is interested in me in particular?"

Salem raised an eyebrow.

"As far as you know, I'm just some random kid he offered a scholarship to after meeting once. Why would that make me someone whose betrayal would ruin his hopes and dreams? What do you think I am to Ozpin?"

"Rose…"

Ruby glared at the woman whose arm her own was hooked through. She stopped walking in front of the door to the grand hall, and Salem followed suit.

"You know. You know I'm a spy for Ozpin. And I know you know."

A bolt of lightning hit Ruby and threw her through the two massive wooden doors, the only ones constructed of non-Grimm material in the entire castle. Ruby flew onto the table in a shower of splintered wood and fragmented metal, sliding along the entire length of it from the force of the strike until she rolled off and slammed the back of her head into the baseboard of the wall behind it.

Salem made no sudden movements, but she strode closer and closer to Ruby with purpose. Ruby had no scythe with her (she had no idea where Crescent had been stowed by Hazel), but that didn't mean she was defenseless. She had her semblance, she had her guts, and if push came to shove, she might have to draw upon that part of herself that she knew deep down was inside of her – the silver eyes.

Salem splayed her fingers, and twin fireballs appeared in her grasp. "You should have stayed quiet, young Rose. The whole point was warping your soul and making you into a villain. Now that I know you know, you're useless to me."

"I'll never serve you!" Ruby screamed, so loud that the rest of the castle probably heard. It mattered little, though. This fight was between her and Salem. "I'd rather die!"

The witch threw her fireballs are Ruby, but she had already fled before either reached her location. Running faster than she ever had before, so fast that she twice nearly tripped over her own feet, Ruby made a mad dash – straight towards Salem.

Salem hit her with a purple beam of some unknown kind of magic, but Ruby's aura held, and she charged her own body as a battering ram straight into Salem. Despite being an all powerful Grimm Queen, Salem herself had no aura, and the impact of Ruby's desperate attack bisected her. Such a thing had never happened before, but that was because Ruby only used her powers on other trained hunters and Grimm. The speeds at which she ran were enough to tear right through Salem's plain old human body.

Sadly, Salem's plain old human body wasn't killed. Some of the blood that spilled out of her torso hardened into some sort of tangled string, and then another appeared, and another, and another, until she had enough vines strings to coalesce into tentacle-like vines. The vines gripped the floor and pulled Salem towards her legs with motion like a writhing mass of caterpillars or inchworms.

Ruby wasn't idle while Salem reattached herself. Whatever Salem was, it wasn't something that could be killed by Ruby, or Ozpin would have ordered her to assassinate the woman rather than steal maidens out from under her. The airship – she had to get to the airship.

Dashing into the hallways, Ruby leapt through the nearest window and flew through the air with her semblance towards the nearest dock. Short bursts of propulsion meant that she could keep her feet off the ground for long enough to skirt around the side of the castle towards her destination.

Tyrian jumped out after her, but for all his lethal combat abilities, he wasn't as fast as Ruby. No one was.

Hazel's impaired from all the torture. If I can just get to the airship, I'm home free. Headmistress Goodwitch will understand when I tell her that Salem figured out my true loyalties. I can't complete my mission either way, and both she and Ozpin knew it was a shot in the dark to send me out.

Tyrian was hot on her heels, and the distance between them wasn't growing fast enough. At this rate, she wouldn't make it the airship with enough of a headstart to activate it before he caught up. However, Ruby had one advantage – she knew where she was going, and he didn't. Turning sharply, she ran up the sheer face of the castle. The scorpion behind her followed, but he had to climb up using his clawed weapon by cutting into the side of the building. It was slower, and gave Ruby the gap she needed.

When she got to the top, she waited just a moment, then jumped back down all the way. Tyrian swore violently in some kooky language, but he could do nothing but turn around and start to climb the other way.

Ruby flew through the air, unaided by her semblance, until the last moment when she caught herself. Quickly stepping up the airship's rear ramp, she practically threw herself into the pilot's seat and turned on the engines.

Ding.

A small sound ruined everything.

Ding.

No.

No.

NO!

Ding.

The low fuel indicator was blinking. Despite being nothing more than a tiny bulb and a small chime to go with it, the reader was spelling out the end of her life.

I forgot that I used up all the fuel flying back and never replaced it! I'm doomed!

Ruby stood up to see if she could maybe get out and find another bullhead before Tyrian caught up with her, but it was all for naught. The moment she rose, an army of arms tore through the metal floor of the airship, poring out of the Grimmland materials that formed the floor on which the great big vehicle was placed like flowing strips of kelp in the deep sea.

No! It can't end like this!

She lifted her head over her shoulder just in time to catch a single glimpse of Salem before the Shadow Hand snaked through her blouse and reached her throat.

Dark Grimm fingers grabbed hold tightly, pinching her neck like a vice.

"No!" Ruby said, gasping her breath out with a desperation for survival rarely felt by children her age. "No!"

SNAP!

There was one thing left to ask, though.

"How come you want me?" Ruby asked. "What is it that makes you think Ozpin is interested in me in particular?"

Salem raised an eyebrow.

"As far as you know, I'm just some random kid he offered a scholarship to after meeting once. Why would that make me someone whose betrayal would ruin his hopes and dreams? What do you think I am to Ozpin?"

"Rose…"

Ruby glared at the woman whose arm her own was hooked through. She stopped walking in front of the door to the grand hall, and Salem followed suit.

"You know. You know I'm a spy for Ozpin. And I know you know."

Ruby paused, waiting for Salem's response. The ball was in her court, and how she chose to react would define the fate of the world.

A wry smile broke out across Salem's face, and Ruby felt her heart sink. A smile meant that Salem was happy, and Salem being happy meant that Ruby was trapped like a mouse who'd gone for the cheese.

Salem's lips parted.

"Good."

There was one thing left to ask, though.

"How come you want me?" Ruby asked. "What is it that makes you think Ozpin is interested in me in particular?"

Salem raised an eyebrow.

"As far as you know, I'm just some random kid he offered a scholarship to after meeting once. Why would that make me someone whose betrayal would ruin his hopes and dreams? What do you think I am to Ozpin?"

"Rose…"

Ruby glared at the woman whose arm her own was hooked through. She stopped walking in front of the door to the grand hall, and Salem followed suit.

"You know. You know I'm a spy for Ozpin. And I know you know."

Salem snorted disdainfully. "Please, young Ruby. Try harder than that if you wish to…how do the kids call it…'punk me,' I believe?"

"B-B-But…"

"A spy for the man you killed?" Salem said back, stifling her own arrogant laughter. "And you expect me to believe that and throw you out, or perhaps kill you? I wasn't born yesterday; in fact, I was born many, many yesterdays ago."

This hadn't been what Ruby planned for. Ruby had just up and confessed that she was a traitor in Salem's midst. The last thing she'd been expecting was utter nonbelief of the actual truth.

"Why would I lie?"

"For a vacation," answered Salem nonchalantly. She raised an eyebrow. "You think you're the first? Oh, Cinder suddenly realizes her true loyalties are to protecting the kingdom, and I dismiss her from my service, and then two days later she returns claiming to have seen the light once more and with a receipt for a spa visit that she needed paid – how plainly convincing that was. And that time Watts claimed to have received a better job offer from General Ironwood and demanded a raise, only for me to find out a few months later that no such offer had ever been made…that was no different. I'd even guess that one of those two was the one to tell you about this little ploy they devised and implemented with regularity. Well, third time's the charm, Ruby, and I won't be had once more."

"It's true!" Ruby screamed, making Salem's grin grow only wider. "It is, this time!"

"I'm sure." Sarcasm was dripping from Salem's voice so much that it practically pooled up on the floor. "Well, I suppose you'll be needing my top secret evil plans, then. How about you grab a notepad for the next time we host our weekly villain meeting to discuss dastardly deeds?"

Salem turned and walked away, leaving behind a stunned Ruby Rose.

Ruby picked up her dropped jaw and chased after her. "Wait! Wait, Salem! I can convince you, I'm sure of it! Just wait up for a second!"

There was one thing left to ask, though.

"How come you want me?" Ruby asked. "What is it that makes you think Ozpin is interested in me in particular?"

Salem raised an eyebrow.

"As far as you know, I'm just some random kid he offered a scholarship to after meeting once. Why would that make me someone whose betrayal would ruin his hopes and dreams? What do you think I am to Ozpin?"

"Rose…"

Ruby glared at the woman whose arm her own was hooked through. She stopped walking in front of the door to the grand hall, and Salem followed suit.

"You know. You know I'm a spy for Ozpin. And I know you know."

"W-W-W-What?" Salem said, shock in her eyes. "Y-You're a spy? For Ozma?"

Ruby hadn't been expecting that either. The sheer and utter look of genuine shock on Salem's face was unmistakable. She had been so sure, so entirely sure with every fiber of her being that Salem knew, because that was the only explanation.

What have I done?

The mission – she'd gone and ruined it! Salem would never give her the powers of the Spring maiden if she knew Ruby was planning to hand it over to her age-old enemy Ozpin.

What was I thinking? What did I have to gain by confronting her? And I had everything to lose! The mission – now Cinder's going to be the maiden host, and the world's going to be destroyed when Salem uses the maiden powers to get the relic and uses it to find the other relics and –

"TRAITOR!"

The crazed cry broke Ruby out of her self-loathing. Salem was panting, her fists clenched so tight that her razor-sharp nails were cutting straight into her palms and passing out the other side. But what Ruby hadn't been expecting were the tears.

"I…I took you in when the world threw you out like trash! I offered you a place at my table, I fed you, I raised you into a proud woman strong enough to stand on her own two feet. Did I ever deny you anything? Did I ever raise a hand against you? No, I did the exact opposite! I showed you my soul. I explained my humanity to you. I cared for you, comforted you, promised you power beyond your wildest dreams, and all for what in exchange? Nothing. Nothing but your loyalty, and I suppose you're too much a cheap bitch to give me even that."

Salem turned around, sweeping her dress with a dramatic flourish.

"So go, then. I-I don't need you."

Ruby reached out a hand for her shoulder, but Salem stepped forward, maneuvering just out of reach. Her arms folded, and her head turned away from Ruby.

"S-Salem…"

"Go. Go running back to Ozma. Do it."

Stepping closer to Salem, Ruby wrapped her arm around Salem's waist from behind. The pale woman didn't visibly respond, but Ruby could feel her body tensing up slightly.

Ruby squeezed Salem gently, hugging her by her back, but Salem help her nose up high. "Hmph."

"C'mon, baby, don't be like that."

"Don't you have to go off and debrief?" she asked sardonically. "Share your oh so precious intel with your Ozpin?"

"That can wait. Right now, all I wanna do is spend some time with my special girl."

Salem said nothing.

"My snickerdoodle."

That got a bit of an exhale out of her. Ruby liked what she was hearing and kept going.

"My number one gal. My Mommy Salami."

Salem snickered, and Ruby followed up by kissing her neck from behind.

"Hey, let's forget this who's spying for who business and go grab a bite to eat tonight – just the two of us. I can get us some reservations at Vinny's."

"Ooh!" Salem perked up upon hearing that. "They make the best breadsticks."

Ruby smiled and twirled Salem around, eliciting a joy-filled squeal. "Put on your dancing shoes, honey-plum, because tonight, you and I are gonna 69."

There was one thing left to ask, though.

"Hey, is Tyrian's stinger, like, hard?" Ruby asked.

Salem raised an eyebrow.

"Like, it looks super hard, and I would expect it to be armored like a scorpion's exoskeleton, but I've seen him get all shaky whenever it gets stepped on by accident. I don't know about you, but it reminds me of a baby getting tickled."

"Rose…"

"And I know I could just ask him," Ruby went on, "except he always talks funny and I can only tell what he's saying from context clues so if it's a yes or no question like 'Is your tail –'"

Salem held up a hand, silencing Ruby.

"I have no idea, child."

Turning away, she walked off.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Command

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #656 – Always remember to vaccinate your goldfish.

Ruby's Tip #657 – Never under any circumstances vaccinate your goldfish.

Chapter Text

"Frappez plus fort!"

Tyrian slammed a fist into Crescent Rose. Despite blocking it, Ruby slid backwards, losing much of the ground she'd gained. Tyrian slapped his right hand into the back of his own left fist.

"Plus de force."

"I'm trying!" Ruby screamed back at him.

The hard part was simultaneously hitting harder and also being just as precise. It was easy to pull back with everything she had and swing the full force of her scythe down with the might of a Beringel, but she also needed to keep her senses sharp for stingers slinking in from behind, to plan out her next move after the slash, and to make sure her aim was both rigid (to avoid missing) and flexible (to track Tyrian if he dodged).

With Cinder back in Beacon, Ruby was forced to train with the people at her disposal in Evernight, meaning that it was Tyrian or no one. Hazel was recovered from his ordeal at Salem's hands, but he refused to have anything to do with Ruby. Salem wasn't ordering him to train her, and Ruby didn't want to rock the boat by asking, so that meant it was Tyrian or bust.

Sparring with the insane Faunus was an experience. Cinder might have been a ruthless fighter, but when Tyrian chose to get serious, it was a guaranteed loss for Ruby. Fortunately, he seemed to understand that her goal was to get better, not to get her butt kicked, and so he was giving her advice to ensure the former every time the latter happened.

"Utilisez vos cinq sens. Écoutez les sons! Ressentez l'air!"

The tail that Ruby hadn't even noticed snaking its way along the ground made a soft noise, and Ruby stepped on it to prevent its lethal stringer from striking at her ankles, but there was a sudden whoosh of air before Tyrian's leg struck her in the stomach. The momentary giveaway was not early enough for Ruby to react, and she had to take the hit.

Ruby knew better than to try something like punching Tyrian while he was in close for the kick. Up close and personal was his domain, and trying to strike at him with her fists would be the same as headbutting his fists. Instead, she let his momentum push her away – not far enough to snipe him, but far enough that she could use Crescent Rose and its full length as a melee weapon.

She decided that now was as good a time as any to deploy her new trick. Tyrian had taken a few glancing hits, while she herself was nearly in the red. If she didn't turn this spar around, it would just be another loss to add to the mountain.

And it still will be no matter what I do, but that doesn't matter. Tyrian's better than me, so winning is a pipe dream, but learning how to fight isn't. There's no place for pride when improvement is on the line.

Grabbing hold of Crescent with one hand, Ruby stuck it out as far as she could and ran to the side, maintaining a constant distance between Tyrian as she circled him. When he finally moved towards her, striking out with the speed of a coiled snake, Ruby applied the effects of her semblance to her center of mass and began to rapidly spin around like a ballerina performing a Pyrrhouette. Her outstretched scythe became a twirling instrument of doom as it carved through the air and struck Tyrian.

He took a solid hit, which was rare, but then caught himself just as Ruby had expected. A bullet from his guns hit her on the toe, and she fell down when she reflexively lifted her leg to massage her foot while still spinning around in her semblance.

Tyrian 45, Ruby 0.

But I'm growing. I last longer in every fight. Plus, it's not like the finish line is beating Tyrian. All I need to do is beat Raven…and Amber or the Summer maiden to do so.

Tyrian gave her a helping hand up, which Ruby gratefully accepted. Her foot was still stinging from that last shot.

"So, what did you think? How was the spinny-thing I did at the end?"

Tyrian paused to scratch at his chin for a second as he pondered her homemade attack. She was anxious for his opinion, but the logical part of her mind reminded him that he wouldn't take this long to think it over if all that was coming was a bland dismissal.

"Une bonne stratégie, mais vous repoussez vos adversaires. Essayez de l'appliquer lorsqu'ils sont coincés dans un coin."

Okay, so Ruby was mostly sure she got what he meant. If she was interpreting it correctly, he was advising her to only try this attack when opponents didn't have an obvious way to dodge it.

Her translation skills were also improving the more she spoke with Tyrian and figured out how he said what he said, and the best way to make them even better would be to see how close she was.

"You're saying I should only attack when they can't escape it? When they're cornered?"

Tyrian nodded. "Votre élan les pousse. S'ils sont acculés, vous pouvez marquer de nombreux coups rapides."

He spun one hand and struck it into the other multiple times.

Oh. He's saying that because I spin around so much, I can hit them again and again if they have no avenue for escape.

Tyrian nodded excitedly as he saw the lightbulb go off in Ruby's head. "Cette fille comprend."

Ruby nodded. "I so do. Thanks, pal."

To pass the time while her aura regenerated, Ruby had the Seers set up some targets in the corners of the room setting up the room's practice dummies, giving her a chance to work on her target practice. She never missed, but the reason that was so was because she kept her skills sharp.

Tyrian, on the other hand, took a break. His skills were so superb that he probably could fight entire huntsman teams in his sleep if he so wished. Sitting down, he spoke rapidly to a Seer, which apparently understood his request and came back moments later with a steaming cup of tea.

Blowing gently on the tea, Tyrian took a sip. His face tightened, and he put his fingers together to make an OK gesture. "Bon."

A little Seer approached Ruby as she knocked the dummies down one by one. Ruby ignored it until its tentacles started tugging at her waist.

"Sorry, buddy, but I don't like tea. If you have cocoa, though…nah, actually I shouldn't. We're gonna train, and if I eat or drink before I do, I usually spew."

"Ruby."

Ruby froze.

"S-Salem, I am so – er, your grace, I mean, I –"

Looking down at the calm face displayed on the Grimm, Ruby wisely decided to shut her mouth.

"Ruby. Meet me in the grand hall for dinner."

Tyrian sat up, placing his cup of tea down by his feet. "Hnn, s–"

"No. Just Ruby."

Before Ruby could ask what she meant, Salem's image vanished.

"Have a seat."

Ruby did. As much as she wanted to sit on one of the chairs to the side of the table so that she wasn't facing directly opposite Salem (which felt far too confrontational for a casual meeting with the boss), the only place setting was on the end. The Seers hadn't set out a banquet like usual when they convened, only a few small dishes of meat and vegetables.

This very clearly wasn't one of Salem's celebratory feasts, but a meeting. Salem had her elbows on the table and was resting her chin on her joined fingers as she casually watched Ruby pull out her chair.

Alarm bells were ringing in Ruby's head, but not the kind that said Salem was about to hurt her. These alarms were warning her that something big was coming, something like a test or a major assignment.

Did Cinder find the Fall maiden? Am I going to be…am I going to have to…is it time?

The hardness in Salem's eyes surprised Ruby and lent more credence to the theory that this was a serious occasion. Normal, she radiated an air of forgiveness and patient understanding – not a genuine one, but one meant to make Ruby feel trusting around her. It was a good act – one that made Salem feel like a parent or teacher with her best interests at heart, who was willing to overlook Ruby's mistakes – but it crumbled whenever Ruby looked at that Grimm skin and felt a revulsion drilled into her by a decade and a half of animosity with her monsters sharing her colorings.

"Lady Salem. How may I serve you?"

Salem didn't move from her position as Ruby found her seat, so Ruby refrained from eating. Her nerves started getting to her from how focused Salem seemed.

"Just beyond the city of Argus, there is a military encampment and laboratory operated by Atlas named the Ultramarine Production and Research Base. Within this facility can be found a rare Atlesian catalyst that Dr. Watts has identified as crucial. It has unique physical and chemical properties that will further a project of his. Only forty capsules of this substance exist in the world, and they are stored in the Ultramarine site. You will bring me all forty capsules of this catalysts."

Ruby nodded, doing her best to commit the details to memory. Argus, Ultramarine, catalyst, forty capsules…

"I'll get right on it, your grace."

"See that you do. You may appropriate any resources or the aid of any within our organization. Dr. Watts will provide you the details."

Ruby nodded again. This…

"Um."

Salem raised an eyebrow.

"N-No, there's no problem, I just…um…"

"Phrase your question carefully, young Rose. I am in no mood for defiance."

"Ok. Yeah, it's just…this is basically just a normal mission. It's not that different from what I've done before. Hell, I've even gone up against Atlas before, back when I was with the White Fang. Why does it feel so…why does it feel like you're treating this one special?"

Salem stared at Ruby, then got up and left. The patient visage Ruby used to see was nowhere to be found, but it wasn't replaced by anger. No, it almost looked like she was challenging Ruby to do something – argue, protest, or object.

But why would I object? It's just stealing some capsules of chemicals or something.

Fear gripped Ruby's heart as she looked at this scenario and tried to place herself in the other party's shoes as she had so many times before.

Why would Salem expect Ruby to object? Because this mission was going to require her to do something she didn't want to do.

Will I have to kill innocent people? No, Salem's giving me free reign and allowing me to ask for help. Maybe the catalysts are going to be used for something evil? She said Watts wanted to apply them to his research – could he make them into weapons?

Ruby didn't know much about catalysts other than the basics of how they sped up chemical reactions, and she didn't even know anything about this particular type of catalyst other than that it was rare and well-guarded by Atlas.

It's probably going to be used for chemical weapons.

Crap. I really don't want to steal something for Salem if it'll make good people suffer, but what can I do? She's clearly got her eyes on me for this mission, so there's no way I could try to sabotage myself without compromising my real objective.

Ruby brought herself back to that day back in the settlement of Temeria to remind herself what it was all about. Raven, floating overhead, throwing down fireballs and instantly vaporizing men and women, human and Faunus, adult and child alike. Reliving that memory, while painful, always gave her a fresh rush of purpose. The most important thing in the world was taking that power from her hands and placing them back into Ozpin's.

And if that means I have to supply arms to an anarchist cult of Grimm-worshippers, so be it.

This was Ruby's first command, she belatedly realized upon meeting up with Watts. It hadn't dawned upon her from the extremely curt dinner with Salem, but when Watts responded to her the same way he did Salem (eyes down, tone even), it clicked. Missions like this were common, but Ruby had been given instructions, parameters, mentors, or other such guidelines to keep her on task. Now, she was cut loose with nearly unlimited control of how this went and how she chose to steal the thingies from the dudes.

Fortunately, Ruby had a pretty good idea how heists were supposed to go.

She was there, and Watts (after explaining to her the details like where the base was, what security features it had, what the catalysts looked like, and so on) was also on board, which meant they needed exactly nine more people. Ruby nodded – she could scrounge together that many minions.

"Yo, Tyrian."

The Faunus continued grinding his clawed gauntlets on the whetstone as Ruby approached him.

"I'm putting together a team. You in?"

He didn't even need to look up to answer. "Espèce de fils de pute, je suis partant."

The two gripped hands, muscles flexing as they shook.

She nodded; three down, eight to go.

"Yo, Hazel."

He glared down at her, likely unamused by her uninvited entrance into her room. "What?"

Sadly for Hazel, Ruby had been given the jurisdiction to press-gang any of her minions onto the heist team, so he had no grounds to kick her out.

"I'm putting together a team. You in?"

"You need my help?"

Ruby nodded. "I do."

"I assume this is for one of Salem's missions?" His forehead furrowed. "Very well. I shall endeavor to succor."

She frowned at that and folded her arms. "I'd rather you just helped me."

Hazel's head fell, and he covered his eyes with his meaty fingers.

"…I'll help," he said after about a minute's pause.

Excellent. Four down, seven to go.

Shit.

Hazel, Tyrian, and Watts were the only people in the castle. Where was Ruby going to find the rest of her eleven?

Shit! Fuck!

"Yo, Salem."

Salem glared at her.

"I'm putting together a team. You in?"

"Please stop bothering me, Ruby."

Ruby gave her a thumbs up and ignored the sweat pouring down her forehead. "Duly noted, ma'am."

"We have other resources," Watts said to Ruby upon her exit of Salem's throne room. "Our queen has authorized the use of any and all forces under our sway. You need not limit yourself to the inhabitants of the Evernight Castle."

"Who?" Ruby asked succinctly.

Tyrian smiled warmly, patting Ruby's shoulder. "Premièrement, le Grimm."

"Oh, yeah, I guess. I just didn't think that…well, I kind of assume we don't want this tied to Salem." Ruby walked started walking, hoping that as she went through the castle, some ideas might come to her. "She didn't explicitly say it, but it seems kind of implied. Ya know, given that she's hidden herself from humanity and the Faunus since the dawn of time."

"Quite so," Watts said, brushing his mustache and offering a dismissive look towards Tyrian. "Babbling insanity of a feckless cretin aside, I was thinking of Cinder."

"She's busy," Ruby said immediately. "I spoke to her this morning. She followed my advice about buying a staff and is working on that. Finding Amber takes precedence."

"The four of us is surely enough," Hazel said. "Further reinforcements seem –"

"We're doing a heist," Ruby said, nipping his insubordination in the bud before it grew any further and led to something crazy like a union. "We need eleven people."

"Son équipe?"

Ruby blinked at Tyrian.

"Emerald and Marcus, I believe," Hazel grunted.

"Oh, you're talking about her team. And it's Mercury, B-T-W." Ruby shook her head. However, before she could dismiss the idea, she paused.

They probably could fake something. Lionheart's on our side, and he's the main guy in Haven. Argus might be Atlas-owned and Atlas-operated, but if he made some excuse about them needing to briefly come home, it would be close enough to…

"That's three more," Ruby said. "Oh, and Lionheart himself. That makes eight."

"If we're bringing in outsiders," Hazel said sternly, "then perhaps we may as well recruit some Grimm. There is a beast from legends of old that resides on the continent of Anima that is said to be –"

"Great!" Ruby said. "I'll give it a scroll call after reaching out to Cinder."

That was nine. With only two more, Ruby was starting to feel optimistic about reaching her goal of eleven. Maybe Cinder could get Roman…? Nah, that wouldn't work. This was supposed to be Ruby's mission. She could call in help, but if she asked for the thief's aid and expertise, it would just be him telling Ruby what to do. She had to plan this one to impress Salem and prove herself.

As she rounded a corner of the hallway with her entourage in tow, Ruby bumped into none other than Salem's hound. It twitched ever so slightly upon the collision, but it remained seated.

Ruby patted its head with a smile. "Well hey there, boy. You came just in time. I'm putting together a team. Up for some Mistrilian walkies?"

The hound did not respond.

"Ugh," Ruby groaned. Shaking her head, she decided to take a page out of Salem's book. "Follow. Hold. Obey."

"Follow."

Welp, just one more now. Ruby held out her arm and bade the Scarab within to emerge.

"Grubbie, I can't think of anyone else, so you're gonna be the last one on the squad. I'm putting together a team. You in?"

Grubbie went back into her arm.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Coming Soon: Ruby's Eleven Part 1

Dramatis Personae – Heist Perps

1) Ruby – the mastermind

2) Watts – tech support

3) Tyrian – getaway driver

4) Hazel – the muscle

5) Emerald – master of disguise

6) Mercury – straight man

7) Neopolitan – also master of disguise

8) Lionheart – inside man

9) The Nuckelavee – getaway vehicle

10) The Hound – special operations

11) Grubbie – Grubbie

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #389 – Is your ice cream too cold to scoop after coming out of the freezer? Leave it out when you leave for work for a perfectly temperate treat when you get back home!

Ruby's Tip #843 – Instead of throwing away a banana peel into the trash can, put it in the recycling bin. Remember kids, we only have one Remnant, and it's up to us to take care of her.

Ruby's Note – Also, be sure to compost your aluminum soda cans.

Chapter Text

Dramatis Personae – Heist Perps

1) Ruby – the mastermind

2) Watts – tech support

3) Tyrian – getaway driver

4) Hazel – the muscle

5) Emerald – master of disguise

6) Mercury – straight man

7) Neopolitan – also master of disguise

8) Lionheart – inside man

9) The Nuckelavee – getaway vehicle

10) The Hound – special operations

11) Grubbie – Grubbie

Ruby and her team (at least, the human and Faunus ones) sipped their drinks at the Argusian cafe as Dr. Watts gave them a rundown of the security features of the Ultramarine Base. Ruby herself had already heard all of this, but it was essential for the rest of the team to get a good idea of the con before they went in. Her plan was foolproof, but it didn't hurt to best prepare one's entire heist team for improvisation in case it came to it.

"…can disable the cameras remotely, but only for a brief period of time, approximately one hour, two maximum. However, I will be disabling the cameras, not bypassing them. Thus, the guards watching the feeds shall be made aware of your presence."

"Then why even bother?" Mercury said dismissively. "If they're gonna know we're there one way or another, let's just save time and fight our way through."

"I shall bother, Mr. Black, because it makes the difference between the guards knowing that someone is attempting to enter their facilities and seeing exactly where that someone is and who is among said someone's party."

The one problem with Ruby's eleven was that most members of the eleven didn't really seem to get along with each other.

Mercury rubbed everyone the wrong way, but his insistence on getting in the last word frequently clashed with Watts' insistence on getting the last-er word. Their personalities, while identical in every way that mattered, meshed together as well as peanut butter and salt-water clams.

For another thing, Tyrian's manic gazing was mistaken by Neo for being something with a lustful nature, and his repeated protests that it was entirely murderous and not at all lecherous fell on deaf ears (mainly because it wasn't comprehensible to the rational mind). It had been a nightmare even extracting from Neo why she had gotten mad at him, given her dumbness.

Also, Neo also hated Ruby for referring to her muteness as dumbness.

Emerald also hated Mercury, despite being partners. He kept making homophobic comments about her, and Ruby didn't feel comfortable mediating the dispute because she wasn't sure if Emerald really was gay or if Mercury was just trying to get under her skin.

Hazel seemed to not be interested in being friends with anyone, which was par the course with his typical asocial personality, but Neo seemed to have an immense dislike of him solely based on their insurmountable height difference (he was about twice as tall as her) and was perpetually trying to get a rise out of him.

Mercury's metal legs were too shiny and kept distracting Tyrian, who had the attention span of a three-year-old.

Much like Neo and Tyrian, Watts' staring at Emerald was offensive to her, although in this case he really was just perving out and staring at her boobies. Ruby had been forced to sit them on opposite sides of the room during Watts' briefing on security to prevent him from making it weird.

Neo and Mercury also despised one another, but Ruby couldn't for the life of her figure out why. Maybe it was just because he was Mercury? That was a pretty good reason to hate someone.

Oh, and also Ruby Rose had an immense and spectacular desire to murder each and every one of them for knowingly siding with the Grimm and being willing to to kill innocent people.

"Let's try to stay on task," Ruby said, cutting off Mercury before he could bother Watts further. "When the cameras are down, what other defenses can we expect? Both on the way to where they store the catalysts and throughout the rest of the base."

Watts nodded and answered. For all that he was a bit of a prick, he could be professional when the situation demanded it. Ruby suspected Salem had had words with him before assigning this mission to Ruby.

"The base has a contingent of three hundred heavily armed Atlesian shock troops, as well as many automated robotic defenses. I can disable the latter remotely, but it shall be up to you to deal with the former. All entryways require keycard with specialized magnetized strips that allow entrance."

"Can you forge any for us?" asked Emerald, crossing her arms to cover her bosoms as Watts' attention fell on her. Seriously, if she was so upset about it, Ruby could lend her a sweater…

"I took the liberty of preparing one in advance. However, given our timeframe as outlined by Miss Rose…" He nodded at her. "…I shall only have time to produce two more."

Tyrian gently raised his hand. "Est-ce qu'ils ont des chevaux ? J'ai peur de la cavalerie."

Watts shook his head. "None to speak of. I should point out that the catalysts themselves are contained within a vault of extreme durability and constitution, one which I cannot circumvent. It required a combination known only to the bases' commander and three researchers, as well as a handprint and retinal scan."

"Emerald can deal with that," Mercury said. "Her semblance can –"

"Don't volunteer me for things I can't do, you asshole," Emerald said, slapping the back of her hand against Mercury's upper arm. "My semblance only works on people, and you know that."

"This vault," Ruby said, ignoring the squabbling kids. "You say it's really durable, but so is Hazel with his beefy arms and generally muscled form. If he just, you know, punched it, would that work?"

Watts balked. "I…what…how could…there has to be…surely a more refined solution can be…"

"Je pense que c'est un oui," Tyrian offered with a wry grin.

Ruby smirked. So did she.

Compartmentalization was an important part of Ruby's eleven. If any one member of the squad was captured by the enemy or compromised, it wouldn't do for them to leak proprietary secrets when subjected to torture. Thus, Ruby informed each member of the squad of their own tasks but no others'.

The Nuckelavee, which creeped the living fuck out of Ruby, was the getaway vehicle. Ruby had hooked up a cart to its back, told it to hide nearby in the forest just outside the eastern wall of the laboratory, and desperately tried not to make direct eye contact with it. Watts had explained that the catalysts themselves were actually quite large. Each capsule was about the size of a golden retriever and weighed 250-300 pounds, meaning that carrying them out of there while presumably being chased by the Atlesian military would require some serious horsepower. Thus, Ruby assigned that job to their powerful horse.

Tyrian was the getaway driver, because Ruby didn't trust him to not start randomly killing people once they were inside the base. One of Ruby's main priorities was not revealing the existence of Salem to Atlas (both for Salem's sake and Atlas').

Watts was going to be doing his tech stuff like hacking and printing out the fake keycards from the hotel room he'd rented in Argus. Ruby had wanted him to do it at an internet café while wearing a hoodie and shades because that was how the movies showed hackers, but he'd insisted that his choice of venue was just as practical.

Everyone else was going in.

Grubbie was small enough to avoid detection when he crawled along the ceiling without tripping any alarms, allowing Ruby to determine the best blind spot in the guard patrols after two nights of beetlewalking. At precisely 5:43am in the morning, there was a short period in which the rear entrance of the base, used for deliveries, was unprotected. Just like her last run in with Atlas, Ruby would be taking full advantage of Atlas' supply lines, though she wouldn't be exploding them this time around.

Watts had only been able to make the three security credentials that would get them through the door, but if the guards saw a random person walk up from the outside world and enter the base, they would know something was up. Thus, Ruby ordered Neo and Mercury to sneak in during the lapse in security. As long as Neo got inside without issue, she could use her illusions to mask her presence and make herself appear to be someone who was meant to be there.

The two of them entered without issue, and then came the tough part.

Mercury hated Little Red. He hated her stupid plan, he hated her childish antics, he hated her number eleven fetish, he hated his role in it all, and he above all hated her mentally retarded face. Every part of him wanted to tell her to fuck off, cut off her own legs, and be the one to hide inside Neo's stupid cart instead of him.

But he knew better.

For all that he pushed the boundaries of Cinder's patience, he knew that she was better than him. A better fighter, a better thinker, a better killer. And one day, Cinder had come back to Beacon in Ruby's arms missing an eye and trembling like a newborn. The two of them had left in one of Torchwick's airship again, and when Cinder returned the second time, she looked like shit and politely informed him and Emerald that Ruby was now in charge, and they all worked for her.

Naturally, Mercury had tested the waters by attempting to smother Cinder with a pillow two days later. She had clearly lost her game if the baby-faced red tyke of all people usurped her, and he had no intention of obeying someone who'd lost their game.

Mercury balled up his mechanical hand into a mechanical fist beneath the glove that obscured it.

He now knew better.

It was because Little Red had put the fear of the God of Darkness into a still fully armed and operational Cinder Fall that he obeyed without question, even if his mind rebelled against the stupidity of her plan. Seriously, a million little things could go wrong, and she was pretty much just hoping that none of them did.

Even though Neo was the shortstack, Mercury was actually smaller than her when he removed Talaria, and so he was forced to be the one in the janitorial cart that Roman's little monster pushed along. Tyrian had somehow procured them one of the carts, but it was quite small (presumably because Atlas didn't want people to hide inside them and enter the base unannounced). Mercury had to curl up into an uncomfortable little ball covered in dirty towels and sweaty uniforms (again, stolen by the scorpion Faunus).

It was uncomfortable on a visceral level to be without Talaria. Not only did it mean he was entirely deprived of weaponry, but it was also the first time in many years that he'd truly been without legs. When his father had so critically damaged his flesh ones that he'd been forced to acquire a replacement, he'd gone under from anesthesia during the procedure and awoken to a metal pair that had realistic nerve endings. It was a bizarre feeling, but one he could live with.

Now, for the first time, he was truly a stump boy. It sucked, and it was all Ruby Rose's fault.

And yet, Mercury couldn't have his vengeance. Vengeance was for the privileged, those who could hurt the people who'd hurt them and get away with it. Mercury had learned the hard way that he tended to lose limbs when he tried.

Mercury heard people greet Neo as she strolled through the base while pushing the full trolley along. She didn't respond, but she must've given satisfying nonverbal responses, because at no point did their little chariot of victory get stopped by anyone.

This plan…it was actually…functional, to say the best, albeit slightly movie-inspired. Mercury's only job was to remain silent and let Neo do all of the work until they arrived at a specific vent. The vent was for exhausting hot air from a computer room that required extreme cooling to operate the big rigs of machines that did experimental modeling for the Atlesian's science fair project, and thus it was just big enough for a person to crawl through. No one in their right mind would crawl through it, though, as the hot air alone would cause third degree burns – unless you had aura.

Neo stopped at the vent, and Mercury could hear swaths of people walking by. This was the reason he'd had to travel by laundry cart – if Neo tried to crawl into the vent, she'd be seen. However, the laundry cart had been modified to have a small opening on the underside. The last thing she did before twiddling her thumbs was reach her hand into the cart and touch Mercury, weaving an illusion around him.

Mercury peeled open the Velcro and fell to the floor, obscured from view by the cart above him as he got to work unscrewing the vent. He could imagine Neo pretending to whistle as kept a lookout.

The grate popped off, and Mercury stashed his screwdriver. Speed was of the essence here, for the longer he 'screwed around,' the more chance there was of someone stopping to have a conversation with Neo. Crawling through, he pulled the grate back up behind him and made his way through. The vent wasn't sealed, but unless someone checked it carefully, it was highly unlikely that there was any real risk. After all, who went around checking if random vents were firmly screwed on?

The swelteringly hot air might've scorched the skin of a normie, but Mercury was a professional assassin, and he was nearly immune to it. Sure, he did sweat through the illusion Neo had put on him, but it held and so did his aura.

This goddamned plan…I should've bailed when Cinder came back. There's no way Ruby Rose is fit to lead us all.

The most painstaking part of it all was that he had to pull himself through the tightly enclosed space with nothing but his hands. The walls of the vent were smooth, so he had nothing to grip. Instead, all he could do was press his hands against the edges and drag himself along, inch by inch.

At long last, he found himself in his desired destination: the computer room. The scientist fag had explained to him just what the deal was. Apparently, since this lab was supposed to be one of Atlas' best, they had one of the largest computer installations in the world. Lots of computers meant lots of heat, hence the vent (which was actually one of many).

In the belly of the beast, it was actually a lot hotter – so hot, in fact, that Mercury's fingertips started to hurt as he pushed out on the grate. Since he was on the inside here, there was no way he could unscrew it, but no one was watching, so forcing it open was an option.

Once he'd broken through, Mercury dragged himself through the opening and into the room. It was long, probably at least a hundred feet, and just as wide, with tall rigs of computers connected by black wires and thick white cables. Mercury might've been impressed by the sheer size of it if he cared about that sort of thing. Plus, it wasn't going to be very impressive in a few minutes when he was through with it.

Neo smiled as the fire alarm went off just a few minutes after she'd dropped Mercury off at the vent thing. Red had found it using some sort of robotic beetle drone that Neo still didn't fully understand, but she was loving this whole thing.

There was so much fun to be had! The Atlesian, her second least favorite ethnicity just behind the Faunus, were getting utterly trolled. Neo was just waltzing about their highly secure base and looking at all the top-secret research projects on display as though she were perusing a department store. Everyone here assumed that their techno-security was top notch, so no one questioned her in spite of the fact that she had no business being there.

Roman had hinted at there being higher powers behind Cinder, and Neo was slowly discovering the joys of working with them. The pervert tech guy, Watts, was certainly good at his job if he could 3D-print the keycard that gave her access to this place.

Hazel joined her shortly, just on schedule. The goal was to rob the vault and steal Red's precious capsules, and the biggest hurdle was getting their biggest guy in front of the vault. Even if Neo had managed to disguise him as a guard, his physique was too memorable to blend in, and his face was known to the world as a famous criminal. Thus, the crux of Red's plan was ensuring there was no one who could see him when he entered using the second fake key card.

That might've been a problem normally, but it was standard Atlesian military protocol to evacuate a base when the fire alarm went off. Starting a fire was easy – Atlas, like the fools they were, had set up a large server farm smack dab in the middle of their base, so all Mercury had to do was slightly sabotage it, and boom! Flames aplenty, and it would take them at least twenty minutes to ensure the safety of all personnel, take charge of the situation, and organize a firefighting force according to Watts' projections.

Every soldier that might've seen Hazel was now outside, being counted by the incident commander to make sure no one was trapped inside. Thus, Neo and Hazel faced no resistance as they strolled through. No words were spoken between the two of them, so the only sound was the shrill ringing of the fire alarm.

All in all, this was going to be an easy heist. Their 'mastermind,' Ruby Rose, wasn't even going to be participating.

Honestly, her plan was shit. She'd recruited seven people and two Grimm to do the work for her, but she'd really only needed Neo, Merc, and Hazel. Maybe just Neo and Hazel, if they'd been on a budget. Well, the tech guy and his keycards were important too, but only two to three people had been needed to actually infiltrate the base.

After a short walk, she and Hazel found themselves at the location of the vault. It wasn't accessible from the hallway, but Neo's keycard granted her entry into the room from which it was.

The vault itself was just a door. A thick metal door, with tons of security features and techno-wiz gadgets to keep it closed, but a door nonetheless. Neo had half a mind to abandon the plan and see if she could crack it open herself with her lockpicks, just for the thrill of it.

Before she could, a big hand brushed her aside. Hazel walked right past her and cracked his knuckles.

"Time to get to work."

Well, Neo might actually get to try out her lockpicks after all, because after five minutes of boxing the vault like a jackass, Hazel was no closer to opening it than when he'd started.

"It's more durable than I'd expected. Perhaps Arthur was correct in his initial assessment that we would not be able to force it open."

Neo's head rolled back as she lay flat on the floor. The access room was entirely devoid of chairs or any furniture at all, meaning that in order to properly relax, Neo was forced to do her best impression of a candy wrapper that had been dropped on the floor and stepped on.

The rhythmic punches clanging into the metal door was starting to give Neo a headache, if the boredom hadn't already caused one. Seriously, Red had put literally zero effort into planning this whole thing. They hadn't even really needed to sneak Mercury in, and Neo had absolutely zero clue why Ruby had forced her to give him a disguise before he'd left.

And now her ears were starting to ring. The fire alarm screeching like a banshee wasn't helping.

Why can't someone just turn off that damn alarm?!

Neo breathed in deeply, and to her amazement, the fire alarm actually went out.

Thank the gods.

Wait…

Neo checked her scroll. It had only been five minutes…make that six. How had Atlas put out the fires so quickly?

The door behind them whooshed open, and in walked a small group of people wearing the trademark white, red, and navy-blue uniforms of Atlesian specialists.

"…can see, Clover, there is no –"

The white-haired woman cut off her sentence mid-though, looking at Neo hastily scrambling to pick herself up off the floor. Neo was lucky that she'd had the forethought to mask herself and Hazel as uniformed soldiers, but she was still in a rather compromising position, and the easily recognized Atlesian woman's hands slowly moved to rest on her sabers.

"Soldiers," said Winter Schnee, her eyes narrowed. "Why haven't you evacuated?"

Coming Soon – Ruby's Eleven Part 2

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #500 – Running out of jokes? Just repeat the ones you've already told.

Ruby's Tip #389 – Is your ice cream too cold to scoop after coming out of the freezer? Leave it out when you leave for work for a perfectly temperate treat when you get back home!

Ruby's Tip #843 – Instead of throwing away a banana peel into the trash can, put it in the recycling bin. Remember kids, we only have one Remnant, and it's up to us to take care of her.

Ruby's Note – Also, be sure to compost your aluminum soda cans.

Chapter Text

Dramatis Personae – Heist Perps

1) Ruby – the mastermind

2) Watts – tech support

3) Tyrian – getaway driver

4) Hazel – the muscle

5) Emerald – master of disguise

6) Mercury – straight man

7) Neopolitan – also master of disguise

8) Lionheart – inside man

9) The Nuckelavee – getaway vehicle

10) The Hound – special operations

11) Grubbie – Grubbie

"Soldiers," said Winter Schnee. "Why aren't you evacuated?"

Hazel lowered his bruised fists and expertly hid them behind his back. Getting captured here would not be conducive to his long-term goals with Salem.

They hadn't been expecting specialists. Normal soldiers, he could fight off. This? This could be a problem.

"Ma'am," he said, praying to whatever god might listen that his face wasn't recognized. "I was unaware you would be…present."

"Her visit was announced three months in advance, soldier," said the other specialist at her right, who Hazel recognized as none other than Clover Ebi, commander of the Ace Ops. Hazel withheld a sigh as he counted out the four behind them as Ebi's squadron.

The Ace-Ops were here. Not a single one among them was missing from his view as they filed into the room to join Hazel, and all were armed. The completion of their mission seemed all but impossible now, but escape was going to be a challenge as well.

Still, Hazel held hope that he may yet talk his way out of this. "My apologies. I was only recently transferred here. That is why I was unaware."

"And why you failed to evacuate during the fire alarm?"

Hazel feigned embarrassment and hoped that it wasn't too obvious that he was a fraud. Acting was not his forte. "I…I forgot where the rally point was. I got lost, sir. M-My post is typically around this area, so I figured that when they did a headcount and noticed me missing, whoever was sent to look for me would come this way."

It wasn't a great lie, but people never tended to assume foul play unless there was an indicator of it. All Hazel needed to do was assuage their concerns until he could break away and lose them. He always kept a shard of Lightning Dust hidden in his underclothes for a speedy getaway, and now looked like the time he would need to break it out.

"And your companion?" asked Schnee.

Hazel tensed up. He'd forgotten about the child, Neopolitan.

"Why was she lying down?"

Hazel opened his mouth to answer, but Schnee cut him off by raising a hand. If he was to sell them on a false story, he needed to play the part of a military man, and military men followed orders without question.

"I'd like to hear it from her own mouth," Schnee said, and Hazel realized all was already lost. Schnee was looking at him not with curiosity but with doubt. She was already believing this to be foul play and had entered the stage of gathering evidence.

Truthfully, he knew from the moment the specialists stepped through the door that combat was an inevitability, as much as he might have pretended otherwise.

The squadron of hunters waited for an answer, but Neo said nothing. Hazel waited for her to concoct an excuse for a moment before recalling that she was mute. However, when he made to reveal this, a pointed glance from Clover Ebi shut him up.

Sighing, he reached his hand into his back pocket, gripping a shard of Dust. The sharp crystal cut his skin, obscured from view by his torso

Schnee drew her sword and pointed it at Neopolitan. "I will ask you one more time, soldier. What exactly is going on here?"

A bead of sweat dropped down Neopolitan's forehead as she bit her lips and took a step back. The saber found itself at the young maiden's neck, and she fell back another pace. Hazel clenched his fists and readied himself for war.

Then, the door behind them opened once again with a crisp hiss.

"I have arrived. Please withhold your applause."

In stepped Ruby Rose, dressed in the finest business attire dress suit money could buy and carrying a briefcase. Covering her silver eyes were a pair of sunglasses. Next to her on the left was the other girl she'd invited, Emerald Sustrai, garbed in an equally formal suit and sunglasses. To Rose's right was…

Hazel facepalmed.

To Rose's right was the hound wearing nothing but a blue tie around its neck. It sauntered into the room on all fours silently alongside the two girls.

"Good afternoon, Miss Lady," said Ruby, stretching out her hand towards Winter Schnee. The Specialist took it uncertainly and gave it a quick shake before breaking from her spell of shock and falling back a step.

"Who are you?"

"I'm glad you asked, because it saves me the time of having to explain. My name is Riley Bigwig, the bigwig chairwoman of Dusticus Dusts, the second and a half largest Dust department store in the eastern hemisphere. I'm seriously considering purchasing this entire facility using my fat stacks and would like a tour of all secret areas to see if it's going to be worth the investment."

She gestured to Emerald next to her. "This is Gemstone Bisexual, my CFO. She's my closest advisor and has been like a daughter to me ever since I randomly offered her a job out of the blue on a hunch that she had something special deep inside of her, which proved to be the greatest hunched I ever hunched."

Emerald nodded wordlessly, her eyes covered up by her sunglasses. No emotion was betrayed by her face.

Rose nodded at Salem's hound. "This is Ribeye Guineapig-Fitzpatrick, my comptroller. He's been an institution in Dusticus Dusts ever since my great grandmother founded it and gave it to me as a part of my inheritance. Please disregard any racist remarks he makes; he's from a different time."

Schnee held her hands behind her back. "This is a private military facility. It's not for sale."

"That was just a test," said Rose. "I'm actually just a rich bastard who wants to flaunt my mountains of cash and gamble inordinate mountains of lien at the shits table of your casino."

"Shits? Do you mean craps table?" asked Clover.

"Congrats on passing the second test," Rose said without missing a beat. "You've left a good impression on me. Perhaps there can be a prosperous business deal between Dusticus Dusts and the Atlesian military after all, or my name isn't Rita Bigwig."

Winter pursed her lips. "Wasn't it Riley?"

"Three for three. I like your moxie, specialist."

Clover Ebi blinked at the hound. "Is that a Grimm?"

"Wow," Ruby scoffed. "Just wow. It's really rude of you to ask my comptroller that right in front of him."

"I must apologize for Clover," said Schnee, nodding at that man. "He can sometimes think before he speaks. Specialist Ebi, I have urgent business to attend to. If you and the Ace-Ops could please escort the chairwoman and her party to the casino." She gestured at Hazel and Neo with a wave of her hand. "The cadets can assist you."

Clover nodded, and Hazel struggled to keep his jaw from grinding itself into dust as the former heiress walked out of the room and down the hall. He looked at Neo to see if she had any clue what was going on, but the diminutive woman's eyes were transfixed on the hound.

"This way, ma'am," Clover said.

He, his specialist team, Ruby and her 'entourage,' Hazel, and Neo all walked out the door and down the hallway the opposite way from where Winter had gone. All the meanwhile, Hazel's neural pathways rewrote themselves to compute just how stupid Ruby Rose was.

And yet…

She somehow got us out of a standoff that surely would have resulted in bloodshed. Perhaps Salem truly has seen something in her…

Ruby cleared her throat overdramatically. "Oh, and have a few flagons of fire ants waiting for me when we arrive at the casino."

"Of course, Miss Bigwig," said Clover.

They rounded a corner and found at least forty armored soldiers on the other end, their guns drawn. At the rear of them was Specialist Schnee, holding both her sabers in the air.

"Hands where we can see them!" shouted the frontmost soldier from beneath his helmet.

"How did you possibly think that would work?" Clover asked Ruby, taking out a pair of handcuffs from his belt. "You're fifteen, and that's a quadrupedal Grimm. We don't even have a casino."

Emerald cried out in pain as her shoulder hit the floor of the cramped cell that she and her four companions shared. The guard that had thrown her in the cell growled ruthlessly, kicking her down as she tried to get back up to her feet.

"And stay down."

The leader of the specialists tsked his lips at the display of mistreatment, offended by the brutality but not so offended that he chose to intervene. That was how things were for Emerald. People always expressed their deepest sympathy to the starving orphan who slept in the cold and dug through trash for scraps, but not one of them was willing to part with their hard-earned money when she begged. Oh, and don't get her started on just how quickly those bleeding hearts turned against her the second she swiped their wallets.

It wasn't even remotely fair. Her first sally into a life of crime had been simple; she'd stolen an apple from a supermarket at age nine. Back then, she'd been so hungry that thoughts of getting caught hadn't even occurred to her. She'd just walked right in and eaten it inside the store with no regard for the onlookers or employees. To anyone with a grain of common sense, it was clear she was no career criminal but a starving child.

They'd beaten her black and blue over it.

It wasn't even like the people who did it were suffering because of her crimes. It was a chain store, a particularly prosperous one in tons of locations. The employees' salaries were constant either way, and Emerald refused to believe that their inventories were so strict that a single apple slipping by would result in punishment from the management. The only reason Emerald had had to suffer the abuse was because they saw her as a thief and assumed thieves needed to be punished. Cinder had been the only one to ever see value in Emerald.

And here she was, back in a cell just like the ones she'd spent years of her childhood in. Well, the ones back home had dark metallic bars, not Hard Light Dust force fields, but it was more or less the same. One might've thought Emerald traumatized by the imprisonment, but truth be told, it felt like the comforts of home. She was thoroughly used to spending days on end with nothing to do but stare up at the ceiling. Her aura had actually self-unlocked in prison.

"Foolish girl," Hazel bellowed. Emerald could barely bring herself to look his way as he berated the one who'd gotten them in this mess.

"We're fine," Ruby said. "This is just a minor setback. We'll bust out of here."

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" he seethed. "In our line of work, being captured is akin to a death sentence. We're in Argus, Atlas' strongest military presence outside of the heart of their kingdom itself. You don't just 'bust out' from the custody of the most powerful military on Remnant."

The specialist outside who was now on his scroll laughed at that. "At least one of you has some sense."

Emerald wasn't afraid. Cinder would invariably rescue her, so she just needed to wait it out; it was just a matter of time. She normally would have been worried about letting her idol down, but this was on Ruby's Rose's head, so Cinder might actually be pleased by how things had turned out. Emerald didn't have anything against Ruby, but she expected nature to correct itself eventually and place Cinder back on top at some point. Again, just a matter of time.

"Hazel, you need to calm down," Ruby said.

"You're nothing but trouble," he said. "Ever since you joined us, your juvenile ways have risked everything I've worked for so long to achieve. I refused to let you ruin me."

Neo remained silent, but her silence was different than usual, Emerald noticed. Normally, she couldn't speak but always had something to say. This time, she actually seemed stunned into silence.

Guess she's not used to getting caught. Probably had her boss on the outside to break her out anytime things got rough – although I guess I'm no better, just waiting for Cinder as I am.

A few more Atlesians entered the brig, one of them being a dog Faunus with a special uniform that denoted him as a higher-ranking officer or something. Emerald watched as he quietly conferred with the other uniformed man, a copper-haired soldier with pronounced muscles and a small charm above his breast.

The two nodded, and the dog-man approached the cell. Through the force-field, he pointed at them with a steady finger.

"STAY!"

Emerald felt her body freeze up, and the others (at least, those of them within her line of sight when the attack came) did the same.

The force-field briefly dropped, and two of the guards held up their rifles. Emerald tensed, but they both aimed at the Grimm dog that Ruby had brought.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The first shot broke the illusion, and Emerald suspected that the other three were fired before the two gunmen could interpret what the saw before them. Shards of glass fell apart around the beast, revealing it to be…

Mercury?

"Hold fire! It's not a Grimm!"

Mercury slumped to the floor, evidently out of the Faunus' semblance. He propped himself up using the robotic hand that he didn't think Emerald knew about and gave the Atlesians a mock salute with the others.

"At ease, boys."

The lead Atlesian inspected Mercury with a wary eye, then turned to look at Hazel. His eyes narrowed, and he made a two-fingered pointing gesture at him twice.

The soldiers shot two shots at Hazel, shattering the illusions around him and revealing that his fake uniform was nothing more than one of Neo's illusions.

"It's just one of their semblances," said the man. "They don't actually have Grimm working for them, thank the gods. Close up that shield."

The Hard-Light generators went back on, and once Emerald was sealed back in, the dog Faunus dropped his fingers with a gasp. Evidently, his semblance took a lot out of him when used on multiple people. Emerald could sympathize.

"It's just Neo's semblance, Overactive Imagination," Ruby said, placing her hands on said girl's shoulders and shaking her slightly. "She can make illusions that –"

"Yeah, we get it," said one of the other special uniformed Atlesians. "We're not stupid."

Ruby shrugged. "Well, you kinda are since you didn't even break our auras before putting us in here. Emerald, be a dear and use your semblance to teleport us out of here, m'kay?"

Emerald blinked once.

What does – oh.

Emerald bit down on her teeth and made an illusion of a portal opening. She didn't think she could hit the entire room's worth of guards at once, but if she got the commanding officer and maybe one or two others…

"They're escaping!" screamed the leader. "Stop them!"

"STAY!" cried to dog Faunus, but his aim was off a biiiiiiit to the left. Pity.

"They're getting away! After them!"

The rank-and-file soldiers didn't know what their commander meant, as they couldn't see the vision of the prisoners escaping out of a portal, but they probably assumed he knew something that they didn't and followed orders. Such a shame that no one in Atlas had the brains to think for themselves. They might not have lowered the force field and charged in if they could.

Ruby smiled as Hazel knocked down the final specialist. For all that her plan might have been criticized by the big guy, everything was going according to it so far.

Neo had been equally useful, surgically striking at anyone who was calling for help before their message could get out.

Ruby smiled again. This was actually working. Salem was gonna be so impressed.

They saw Neo's illusion semblance and assumed we wouldn't have a second one that did something similar. After all, why pack a redundant semblance?

She held out her hands to the behemoth man, who grasped them and pulled them apart, breaking the handcuffs that restrained her. Ruby stretched out her arms and legs, pleased with herself.

"I don't understand…"

Hazel looked at Mercury's unconscious body. He was alive, but without the ability to defend himself or even dodge in the chaotic firefight that had just gone down, he'd gone down first.

"It's simple," Ruby explained. "For one thing, I knew something was gonna go wrong. One of you people were bound to screw it up somewhere along the way, so I made that a part of the plan. Failing and getting captured was Step 3 of Ruby's Eleven."

"The hound…why disguise the boy as it?"

"All part of the plan." Ruby snapped her fingers, getting the attention of the room back to her. "Folks!"

Neo and Emerald looked up at her.

Her plan was something she'd given a lot of thought to, so issuing commands about it came naturally to Ruby. "Emerald, I want you to evac Mercury back to safety. Feel free to use your semblance to avoid detection."

The green-haired teen nodded, picked up her defeated partner, and broke away from their group.

"Neo, dress Hazel up as a Beringel," Ruby ordered. "Take him, seek out the biggest group of soldiers you can find, and fight them for as long as you can. Make sure they see your illusion breaks in front of them. When you can no longer fight, flee."

"Ah, I…see," Hazel said slowly, cracking his neck.

"We need the Grimm to do this, but we don't want our enemy to know that this was Salem's handiwork, or that she exists. But if they know our modus operandi is to disguise ourselves as Grimm using Neo's semblance –"

"Then they'll assume the Grimm we do use are just humans in disguise. Clever." Hazel frowned. "But what about stealing the catal–"

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Hazy." Ruby smirked. "Leave the rest to me."

Coming Soon – Ruby's Eleven Part 3

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #841 – Keep forgetting your wallet when you leave home? Leave it at the store so it's there when you arrive.

Chapter Text

Dramatis Personae – Heist Perps

1) Ruby – the mastermind

2) Watts – tech support

3) Tyrian – getaway driver

4) Hazel – the muscle

5) Emerald – master of disguise

6) Mercury – straight man

7) Neopolitan – also master of disguise

8) Lionheart – inside man

9) The Nuckelavee – getaway vehicle

10) The Hound – special operations

11) Grubbie – Grubbie

Ruby felt kind of bad about being this happy over mayhem and anarchy. At the same time, she felt kind of proud that she was so good at it.

The commotion with beringel!Hazel and Neo that she'd set about was apparently drawing up so much of the Atlesian's attention that she was passed right by the running troops as she walked up to the roof of the Ultramarine Base. Her keycard ensured that she could move about freely in and out of the base, and she was currently exiting.

Once she was out in the open air, Ruby whistled as loud as she could.

She hadn't taken into account the ice lady being there and putting out the fires early using her magical runic semblance, but she had accounted for something, anything really, that she couldn't account for when she wrote intentionally losing the first fight into the plan. The really crucial part of it all was that no one realized that she had Grimm working for her under Salem's command, and Mercury cosplaying as the hound gave her a free pass.

Someone would inevitably see the horse Grimm that Hazel had wrangled up for their aid or the hound or Grubbie or something. That much was almost a guarantee, since Ruby herself was leading this mission and she had no idea how to professionally do heists or stealth or Ruby's elevens or anything, but that was okay, because she knew that, and she could plan around it. Ruby took into account someone seeing the Grimm working for her, but she did it under circumstances she controlled, and she did it in a way that she knew would lead them to the wrong conclusion – that it was all just visual semblances.

Even so, I don't want to flaunt my hound or the Nuckelavee, but I can use them without worrying about exposing the existence of Salem to an entire army base's worth of people.

To that end, she was now calling in the big guns. With a flutter of its wings, the hound flew out of the sky to join her.

Ruby hadn't known it could fly prior to a few days ago, but she'd done some test runs with it during the daylight when she'd been beetlewalking at night. Its wings had been revealed to her by accident; she'd ordered it to get to the top of a tree as quickly as possible (back when she'd been thinking about having it climb up the walls in an earlier version of her plan), and it had simply flown to the top.

Landing next to her, the hound retracted its wings and sat obediently.

"Follow," Ruby said proudly and almost giddily, tapping it on the nose.

"Follow," it repeated calmly.

The two of them went back down into the base using the same entrance Ruby had taken to get to the roof. Ruby went first, with the hound following shortly behind her at a safe distance. Hazel truly must've been outdoing himself, because she faced no resistance as she doubled back to the vault room.

There it is.

So much effort to break open a single door – it was almost funny.

Hazel's damage could be seen on the door, leaving discolorations that looked like corrosive burns from some sort of Dust use, but it wasn't even dented. Their strongest hadn't been able to make the entrance to the vault budge.

He just punched it head on. W-Wow.

"Go for the hinges," Ruby said.

"Go for." The hound complied. "Go for."

Within a single minute, the large metal door fell forward. The hound was so literal in its interpretation of orders that it didn't move as the door landed on its face, nor did it react in any way to remove the weight. The door just remained at a 30 degree angle, resting atop the Grimm's bony skull-head.

"Shake the off, pup," Ruby commanded. "And then help me with the catalysts."

The catalysts were stored in large metal cylindrical capsules that were about three and a half feet long and one foot in diameter. As the only things in the room, it was impossible to mistake them. The capsules themselves were stored horizontally in three large racks, one on each wall of the vault save for the entrance.

Dr. Watts had assured her that, in spite of containing toxic or corrosive matter, the capsules themselves weren't hazardous and could be handled without any safety equipment or PPE, but Ruby wrapped her first one up in her business jacket when she pulled them out by the handle, just to be safe. It was heavy, but only about twice as heavy as Crescent Rose. If Ruby lifted with her legs, she could carry the capsules one at a time without straining herself.

The sound of bones cracking drew her attention to behind her. Ruby watched in grim awe as the hound's spine snapped multiple times as though each vertebra was expanding until it was nearly twice as tall as it had been before. Its paws, now more like humanoid hands, split apart at the fingers to form a sort of twin claw on each arm, reached down, and grabbed two capsules apiece.

"Help with."

Ruby nodded, pleased by this development. More hands meant fewer trips.

"Frau Ruby! Et ass sou gutt dech –"

"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too, Tyr. Hey, load these up into the cart, okay?"

The madman nodded and took the capsule out of Ruby's hands. He and the hound placed them gingerly into the wooden cart that was harnessed around the Nuckelavee, filling it up about one tenth of the way.

"Wéi eng Peach," Tyrian said delightedly. He clapped briefly.

It was a good start, but they were only done with five of the capsules out of a total of forty. They needed to hustle; there was no telling how long Hazel's distraction would last. Ruby's semblance could make things go a little faster, but she wanted to keep that in the tank just in case they encountered any resistance. Since she could only fit one capsule in her arms at a time, she was better suited for escorting the hound.

Thirty-five left. That's anywhere between seven and nine trips, depending on if I help or stand guard…

Ruby grimaced at the thought of running back into the building, fending off any soldiers or specialists that they ran into on the way, grabbing some more catalysts, running the gauntlet again, and repeating that SIX WHOLE more times. Ugh…needless to say, she really dreaded the idea of having eight more runs.

Unfortunately for her, this was an unavoidable part of the mission, no matter what tricks and traps Ruby employed in her crafty little plan. Emerald was busy with Mercury, Grubbie couldn't carry any containers, Watts was telecommuting from his laptop, and Hazel and Neo were busy with the rest of the guards, meaning that it was up to Ruby to do the heavy lifting – literally.

It was on the fourth trip that they were caught by someone who felt the need to stop them. Ruby had been forced to gently put down the capsule she'd been stealing to avoid it breaking and take down the soldier who'd caught them, all while being shot. Her aura was screaming at her after she headbutted the guy at top speed to disarm him.

His Dust rifle was appreciated, though. Ruby couldn't take it with her due to the capsule she needed to carry, but she could pick it up on the way back after they'd visited Tyrian and the horsey.

If this guy stopped to fight me, that means Neo and Hazel are running out of steam. Time for me to switch to defense mode.

"Alright, doggo. It's up to you to carry the capsules. I'll protect you as we go. Just focus on carrying."

"Carry."

Ruby flicked off the safety of her newly acquired gun. It may not have been Crescent (she'd been forced to leave it with Watts back when she'd taken on the persona of devil-may-care high roller and famed businesswoman with a heart of gold Riley Bigwig), but it was a firearm, and that made it a lethal weapon in the hands of Ruby Rose.

It was on the eighth and final trip when they were caught by someone who actually gave them trouble.

"Surrender!" cried the white-haired specialist chick. "You cannot hope to stand against the might of Atlas!" She raised her swords and shot out a meteor shower of ice shards from the magic runes they made.

"Stay back!" Ruby ordered the hound, holding out an arm to shield it as they ducked behind the cover of a corner at the turn of the hallway. She peeked out quickly, then jumped back to safety when another spear of ice nearly cut her ear off.

"Stay," said the hound.

Ruby cocked her rifle and gripped it with both hands. "On my signal, make for Tyrian. I'll cover you."

"Make for," said the hound. It then stepped out from behind the cover.

"No! What – why?!" Ruby rounded the corner and began to fire at the Atlesian specialist as the hound leisurely strolled through the battle.

Her shots were initially wild and uncoordinated, but after a few discharges to get the hang of the recoil, Ruby's sniper side kicked in, and her accuracy improved as she started trying.

She didn't manage to land any hits on the woman who was hiding behind her own cover at the other end of the hallways, but Ruby was able to provide enough fire that she was forced to hide, thus preventing her from attacking the hound as it soldiered on.

We just need to get to Tyrian and run away. We don't need to win against her.

A bullet hit Ruby in the back, and another struck her neck from her left. She spun to face the new assailant, only to realize that it wasn't one but many. Lines of Atlesian troops were pouring in from multiple directions.

"I guess that means our diversion is done. Time's up – run!"

The hound heard that. "RUN!"

It broke into a bipedal sprint that was quite ungainly but a lot faster than before. Ruby followed behind it, walking backwards as she switched her rifle from lethal concussive bullets to stunning Lighting Dust blasts. There was no way she could overpower an entire base's worth of soldiers with just one gun, even if they were non-aura users.

"Holy shit!" called one of the soldiers. "It's a Grimm!"

"No!" screamed the white-haired lady. "It's not a Grimm!"

"Grimm!" screamed the soldiers.

"Run!" cried another. The shouts just kept coming.

"Grimm! Fall back! We need hunter backup!"

"No! Ignore it!" The lady screeched angrily. "They're using an illusion semblance to frighten us! It's a man beneath that disguise! Keep fighting! Keep fighting, that's an order!"

Ruby fired another shot, downing another soldier. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that the hound was nearly to the door that led outside the base. Ruby ran past it with her semblance and through the door.

If I were to set a trap, I'd put it there.

Just as she'd been expecting, there were more Atlesians waiting for her out there.

Except none of them were breathing.

"Alles fäerdeg, Miss Rose." Tyrian's blades were glistening with blood. "Erlaabt mir Äre Réckzuch ze decken."

"No!" Ruby screamed in horror. "We just need to get out of here! Our goal is to get the things, not kill them all! Help the hound!"

Tyrian nodded and grabbed hold of one of the capsules, lightening the Grimm's load. Ruby continued to fire her nonlethal rounds at the soldiers, but it was slightly easier now that she was outside and they were all funneling through a choke-point to get outside.

"Get them!" screamed the specialist, creating a white barrier that allowed men and women to pour out of the door. "Stop them!"

"Gemaach!" cried Tyrian, but Ruby couldn't hear him over her own pounding heart.

Ruby kept shooting, grimacing as the enemy began to outnumber her and started scoring more and more hits into her faltering aura. When her rifle clicked empty, she flung it as the nearest soldier, turned around, and ran.

Only when she was safely back in the city and her heart had stopped beating so loudly that she feared it might explode did Ruby call Watts. He was lounging about on the couch of his hotel room when he answered.

"Ah, Miss Rose. How fare you?"

"I'm alive," Ruby responded. "Has anyone else checked in? Are they all okay?"

The middle-aged man nodded in the video. "They have, and there are no casualties to report. Rainart and all three of Cinder's minions are with me, having fled the battle prior. Tyrian is still in the forests of Mistral, but he and his Grimm steed have managed to escape the base without a tail. I spoke with him but a moment ago."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief. If they'd gotten the catalysts successfully into ally hands, her first mission had gone successfully. Ruby's eleven was a perfect –

"Oh shit!" Ruby screamed.

Watts immediately sat up, fear in his eyes. "What? What is it?"

"We forgot Lionheart! There were only ten of us!"

Watts' eyes shot from side to side, panicked confusion on his face. "What does this mean? Is there an issue?"

"No, but…" Ruby heaved out a sigh. "Never mind that. I'll come to your location. We'll pick up Tyrian and the catalysts with a bullhead as soon as we can and cut the horse loose to do whatever horse things it does."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ruby eyed Watts, recalling how nervous he had been just a moment ago when he'd thought something was wrong. "What did she say?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Salem – what did she say?" Ruby repeated. "Did she threaten to do something to you if this mission failed? Hurt or kill you?"

Watts blinked once, and Ruby was given all the confirmation she needed. His face turned into a bitter glower, and he ended the call.

"Excellent work, Ruby. You've done well."

Tyrian was vibrating with excitement at the completion of a successful mission and the prospect of praise from his goddess, and Ruby herself was feeling rather similar.

I did a really good job. I mean, maybe Cinder or someone else could have coordinated a better mission, but I succeeded despite being only fifteen and not having half of their experience. We got all of the capsules, we had no casualties, the bad guys…hmmm, the good guys think we were just common thieves; I see this as an absolute win.

"Thank you, your grace," Ruby said back.

Cinder's team had been sent back to her, as their absence could not be extended any longer. Ruby supposed that Lionheart forging a headmaster's note technically counted as him being a part of the eleven, but it didn't do much to alleviate the bitter taste from her mouth.

"In fact, you've done quite well."

Ruby had been about to stand up and leave when Salem said that, so she paused and held her kneeling position a little bit longer. "Your grace?"

"I expected success, but Tyrian gave me a full, thoroughly detailed report on your plan and its execution. You have exceeded any expectations I could have set."

Ruby blushed. "T-Thank you, ma'am."

"This isn't meaningless praise, young Ruby. I have a…reward, let's call it, in mind for you."

"Ooh, is it a gun?" Ruby asked.

"No. It's the location of the Summer maiden."

Ruby blinked.

"I've known where she resides for a long while now," Salem said, grinning viciously. "I simply needed to ensure you were ready to claim the powers I've destined you for. Consider any doubts I may have had assuaged."

Ruby blinked again.

"Her name, as best we know it, is Lìxià. My Grimm have confirmed her location as residing at the top of Mount Serathusa in Vacuo. It shall be a trying challenge to scale the mountain, and slaying the maiden at its peak shall only be more grueling."

Ruby blinked.

"You shall take Tyrian, Hazel, and my hound with you to aid you in her destruction. Dr. Watts would only be a hindrance in combat, and the danger of Cinder or either of her little minions accidentally receiving the power outweighs the benefit of their aid."

Ruby blinked.

Ruby blinked.

I'm…I'm going to have to…

This moment had been a long time coming. Her first mission was watching others die. It was because of her selfish need for validation that Temeria had been razed. She'd left Adam behind on an exploding train in Atlas with no intention of him surviving. Even here, on Ruby's eleven, she'd technically sicced Tyrian on innocent soldiers and handed over what could, for all she knew, be weapons of mass destruction to an amoral scientist.

But Ruby hadn't ever killed before.

Before this.

"What's the damage?" asked Winter.

"All lost," said Clover.

Ultramarine had become a busy location recently. Soldiers were swarming around them, searching for any clues as to the identities of their intruders, but none had yet been found. Furthermore, emergency construction crews had been called in to conduct repairs on the damages done by the muscular man, and that required military leadership to vet them. And on top of that, the scientists that worked here were raving about the damaged computers, claiming that they had limited time to repair them before critical data was lost.

Still, Winter had more important things to take care of.

She shook her head. "I don't care about the capsules, specialist."

Clover winced. "Eleven dead. All with their throats slit by a bladed weapon. We haven't been able to positively identify any of the assailants, but efforts are underway to –"

Winter held up a hand, silencing Clover, then bit down on her teeth. Hard.

In all of her ten years of military service, she'd never once lost a man or woman under her command. And then, out of the blue, eleven. From zero to eleven in less than an hour.

Eleven souls extinguished.

"The general has asked for a full action report, but I can handle it, Winter."

Winter had to work to let the air back into her lungs out.

She had felt so in control of the situation. Passing on a nonverbal message to Ebi and his Ace-Ops, doubling around to her troops, laying the ambush – the child opposite her had assumed her to be a simpleton, and Winter had allowed her to maintain that belief all the way into a trap.

Eleven families that won't be getting their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters back.

Except the trap had been for Winter, and she'd wandered right into it like a blind cur.

Of course it had been an elaborate ploy to lower Winter's guard. What kind of enemy would say such silly things and actually expect them to work? Winter had assumed that she was the one playing her foe, but they had played her.

Eleven black marks on my record.

"Dismissed, Specialist."

Eleven.

Clover nodded and turned to walk away.

"Oh, and please inform the general that I shall be taking some shore leave. I have several years' worth built up, and I will likely be exhausting it."

Clover eyed her suspiciously, likely seeing her intentions written across her hate-filled face, but he dared not backtalk to a superior officer. Without a word, he fully left the room.

"I'm coming for you," Winter said to herself, closing her eyes. "Mark my words. There shall be no place on heaven, Remnant, or hell in which you can hide. I shall scour the corners of the globe and hunt you down like the dog you are. You shall know no refuge, no safety, no comfort. And when I find you, each and every one of those eleven men and women you killed will cry out their laughter from the great beyond as I slowly tear your eyes from their skull and carve my vengeance into their empty sockets. Your days are numbered, Riley Bigwig."

Omake

Winter: What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Atlas Specialist, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on the White Fang, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in Beringel warfare and I'm the top fencer in the entire Atlesian armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on Remnant, mark my fucking words…

Coming Soon – Ruby's Climb

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #131 – Scared of doing your taxes? Quit your job. Your income becomes zero, and that means bye-bye taxes!

Chapter Text

Mount Serathusa was odd to look at. Ruby knew intellectually that it was the highest mountaintop in all of Sanus, that its steep slopes were littered with naïve climbers that thought they could best it, that it was home to the Summer maiden so she could take full advantage of its natural defenses to deter those who would seek to steal her power from her.

But from the base of it, she could see the top. It really didn't look that far.

"Don't let the view trick you, girl," Hazel grumbled. "Mountain trekking is not nearly as simple as it seems."

"Uh-huh."

"Only half of the journey can be completed by walking. For the rest, we must scale sheer faces of rock with just the tools we can carry on our back. If the exhaustion coupled with altitude change doesn't kill us, the heat of the sun or the sand in the winds may."

"Yeah, no, I get it."

Ruby only had to tilt her head at thirty-degree angle to see the top of it. She wasn't stupid – she knew that it looked easy to outsiders but would be really tough when she actually got to it – but it was just so hard to wrap her mind around.

"Sólo tenemos un beneficio," Tyrian said, patting the hound. Its back was loaded with much of their gear for climbing, as well as a hearty portion of rations and water. "Nuestra fiel mula de carga nunca se cansa."

"That doesn't mean that our loads will be light," Hazel said.

Ruby ignored Hazel. Just about everything he did was some form of naysaying or obstructive 'advice.' As much as she despised Tyrian for what he was, she couldn't help but prefer his cheery company.

The base of the mountain was the easiest part to climb, if could even be called climbing. This was more like hiking.

Still, Ruby listened to Hazel's advice and paced herself. She'd heard plenty of stories about how arrogance in the face of nature's strength was the most dangerous phenomenon, and she refused to become a statistic. She wore her sunscreen and her sunhat to keep her pale skin from getting burned, she stopped every hour for a water break and a vibe check, and she called out to Tyrian and Hazel when her feet started getting sore.

"A blister might seem like a minor thing, but…well, it actually is."

"Pero una ampolla en el primer día arruinará tu viaje."

"Proper equipment can make the difference between life and death."

"Además, muchos viajeros olvidan que el viaje de regreso será igual de duro."

Ruby nodded, soaking in as much of their wisdom as she could. Hazel seemed a lot more talkative when it was a life-or-death journey to the top of a mountain as contrasted with his tight-lippedness back in Mistral. Tyrian, on the other hand, was just as chatty, but Ruby was getting pretty good at understanding him and his nonsense.

The first few hours of the hike were actually quite pleasant. The sun of Vacuo was surprisingly bearable, the air tasted far cleaner here than in the city, and the views…oh, the views. This desert was simply gorgeous. Ruby wished she could show Yang.

You know, I think I'll take her back here when this whole Salem business is done with.

Now that the maiden was nearly within her grasp, Ruby found that thinking about 'after' came much easier.

I'll be both the Summer maiden and the Spring maiden, making me more powerful than anyone else in the world, but that's all supposed to be kept lowkey. Personally, I'm more excited about how much my combat skills have grown. I'm probably better than most hunter graduates of the academies at my present level, so if I joined Yang's team, I'm sure I'd fit right in.

While her mission might not have been to spy, that didn't change the fact that she also had buttloads of incredibly valuable intelligence that could bring Salem to her knees. At the top of the list were the names of each and every minion of hers (looking at you, Lionheart) and a full description of their powers. With any luck, that would be enough for the good guys to arrest or neutralize them.

From there, she could give reincarnated Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch a detailed explanation of Salem's tactics and mindset. That kind of information could help the headmasters combat her more effectively.

It might be enough to turn the tide of the war in our favor.

Ruby grinned at the thought of it. Humanity was confined to four kingdoms and scattered settlements due to the Grimm, but if Salem were defeated or at least beaten back, humanity and the Faunus might be able to push the boundaries of the frontier far further than ever before. New territory meant more resources, greater population, increased innovation – it would be a golden age for Remnant, and all ushered in because of her!

"Rose?"

Ruby looked up at Tyrian. "Huh?"

"Es la hora de almuerzo."

Hazel nodded in agreement. "We must keep our strength up."

The trio broke camp and unloaded six ration packs from the hound's back satchel. Ruby took two, Hazel took four, and Tyrian sustained himself on the universe of the energy (and stole a generous portion from Hazel's when the big guy wasn't looking).

"Hey," Ruby said, her mouth stuffed with just-add-water potatoes. "I wanted to ask: why didn't we just fly to the top?"

"Magnetic interference," said Hazel. "It interferes with bullhead propulsion systems. Lìxià chose this peak for a reason."

Ruby petted the hound. "I bet you could wing your way to the top, couldn't'cha, boy?"

"Wing its way?" Hazel raised an eyebrow.

"I don't wanna say F-L-Y or he'll take it literally and leave us behind. Our doggo is just like my original pooch Zwei – say vet in his presence and ya boi would dive under the bed like he's digging for dad's adult magazines."

Ruby didn't understand those magazines at all. Yang's fashion magazines always had the men and women dressed in silly clothes that had prices and catalog numbers listed next to them, but the models in Dad's magazines weren't even wearing anything! Seriously, what brands were they even supposed to be advertising? It confused Ruby to no end.

"Que extraña," Tyrian said. "Nuestro sabueso no responde a mis comandos."

"I think it might be because Salem give me extra liberties," Ruby said. "You know, how she always is more patient with me and makes you guys do what I say. She probably had a chat with him before Ruby's eleven."

"It's more than that," Hazel said. "You weren't there for its inception and early days of training, but it barely obeyed her grace's orders on a good day. Even now, wrangling it is like making water flow backwards. And yet you have such control over it that it even obeys inadvertent commands."

"Quizás sean sus ojos," Tyrian said, his eyebrows raising as he finished off the last of Hazel's food that he stole.

"My eyes?" Ruby asked. "What about my…"

Silver eyes. It always somehow came back to them.

"If we're done eating, we should get a move on," Hazel said too quickly. He wanted to change the conversation.

Ruby let him.

As much as I'd like to know, now isn't the time. We're a two day's hike away from the Summer maiden, and I don't wanna rock the boat. There'll be time after it all.

When the sandstorm set in during the afternoon, Ruby began to see why progress uphill was going to be so slow. They hadn't even made it a full quarter of the way through their journey – heck, they'd barely completed a fifth – and the first day was already gone.

"Break camp here," Hazel said.

Don't need to tell me twice.

He'd seen it coming a mile away and told Ruby to get into her heavier outfit. Despite the fact that it made Ruby's internal temperature rise by an even 10 degrees Celsius, she found herself glad she'd listened to his advice as the sand buffeted her layers.

This would've been my face. Well, my aura, but I need to conserve that in case the fight with Lìxià is tough. Which, you know, it will be, since she's a pro-maiden.

Ruby knew next to nothing about the woman that lay at the end of her quest, save for her name and her gender. Presumably, she was Vacuoan, and probably she had huntress skills, but there was no guarantee.

"Hey, guys," Ruby called out.

"Wait until we pitch the tent," Hazel responded.

Ruby waited.

Moments later, when she was protected from the elements within a structure made from a large tarp and three poles dug deep into the sand, Ruby asked her question.

"Do we know anything about the Summer maiden?"

Both men shook their head. That hadn't been the answer Ruby was expecting.

"B-But Salem said she'd known all alo–"

"Salem did," said Hazel. "We were made privy to this knowledge at the same you were."

Tyrian put his palms together in a prayer-like position. "La diosa actúa de forma misteriosa."

"You know, I'm kinda curious," Ruby said, giving the hound a pat as it curled up to minimize the space it took in their cramped tent. "Tyrian, you worship Salem like a goddess, and you're a combat superman. How did that happen? Were you trained by someone?"

"Obviamente," he said. "Todos tienen maestros."

"But, like, who trained you with such diligence that you became the most dangerous huntsman on the planet? Did they not know that you were, ya know, axe-crazy? Or were they also one of Salem's?"

Tyrian shrugged. "Salem es todo lo que he conocido."

Hazel shook his head. "You won't get more out of him than that. Tyrian was with her grace as far as any can remember. I was her most recent convert, and Cinder before me, but even the good doctor cannot boast as long a term of service as our Faunus warrior." He straightened up slightly and bristled. "And I wouldn't call him the most dangerous huntsman on the planet."

"And what about you?" Ruby asked. "You're also leagues above most normal huntsmen."

"My story is simpler," Hazel said. "We have much in common. I, like you, was enamored with the huntsman life. I studied the names of every huntsman or huntress, I categorized their semblances in a private journal, I subscribed to every catalogue advertising their gear. However, the incident that propelled me to my destiny took place after I had already graduated from Beacon at the top of my class."

"And what incident was that?"

"Sleep."

"Sleep," Ruby repeated. "What, like, you fell asleep in class?"

"No," Hazel said, turning away from her and lying down directly on the ground. "It's time to sleep."

Ruby checked her scroll. "It's barely –"

Motion caught her eye, and she saw Tyrian shaking his head. Ruby decided to leave it at that; if Tyrian himself thought the subject was too taboo to touch on, she wouldn't press Hazel.

"I don't get it," Ruby said, slashing a dog-shaped Grimm in half. "Aren't they on our side?"

Hazel himself was too busy tearing an Alpha apart with his bare hands, so Tyrian answered Ruby's frantic question. "Son los imanes."

"What? How?!"

"Solo bromeo. Grimm, tan alejado de la gente, tiende a volverse loco cuando le presentan comida. Incluso el control de la diosa es limitado."

Ruby frowned at that. She could probably control them by beetlewalking and talking to them as Grubbie…except that was just giving them suggestions that they could choose to take. If they were feral with hunger or bloodlust or whatever drove them, they could just ignore her. Also, she wasn't tired enough to have to go to sleep.

It's not a problem. We'll just fight the Grimm and continue on up the mountain. You don't find the boss at the front of the dungeon. Lìxià is up there, waiting for us to be worn down by the obstacles on the way, but the joke's on her. We have enough rations that we can afford to rest up for an extra day before engaging her.

And when they engaged her…

Don't think about that. M-Maybe Grubbie can steal her powers without killing her. Or maybe I can tell her and she'll understand and…look, I'll think of something.

Ruby wasn't sure who she was justifying herself to.

I have to do this. I'm going to do this.

Ruby hoped the Summer maiden understood. If it came to that. No, wait, she hoped it didn't come to that.

"Sixty-four boxes of Pumpkin Pete's on the walls, sixty-four boxes of Pete's! Take one down, pass it around…"

Hazel and Tyrian said nothing and continued to walk up the indistinct path..

Ruby looked at the hound.

"Carry the," it breathed. "Carry the."

She shrugged and kept singing to herself. "Sixty-three bottles of Pete's on the wall."

Around mid-afternoon on the third day, they came across the first serious hurdle. The boredom was only a minor nuisance, and the Grimm had been fairly easy to tear through (it was mostly Vacuo variant of Beowolves, called Dholases), but the sheer vertical rock wall didn't look like it had a visible end in sight. According to Tyrian, they were going to have to scale it using the equipment they had brought.

There was just one crippling problem with this strategy – half of their equipment was missing.

"¿Dónde está la mierda, perro?" Tyrian roared. Any other being would've wilted in panic at earning the madman's ire, but the hound stood its ground bravely. Actually, it probably just didn't know how to interpret his fury or the appropriate way it was expected to react.

"It had it this morning," Hazel said, running a hand through his hair to brush off the sweat. "I saw fully loaded when we set out."

Ruby inspected the straps that fastened the few remaining packs to the doggo. "Could it have dropped it? We could trace our footsteps…"

She looked back just in time to see her last footstep blow away in the sand and rock from the wind. Darn.

"Incluso si pudiéramos…"

Ruby turned to Tyrian as he trailed off, and he averted his gaze.

"What?" she asked.

He twiddled his hands together. "Señorita Rose…"

"What?" she asked again, slightly louder. If there was something she needed to be told, he could just spit it out. The prolonged exposure to the heat was making her a bit cranky, and Tyrian's suddenly demure and reserved behavior wasn't doing anything to improve her temperament.

Hazel intervened before Ruby could explode at Tyrian. "The bags contained rations in addition to climbing gear. We've lost too much to reasonably continue. Our only recourse is to turn back."

"WHAT?!" she screamed. They were too far from the summit to be heard by the Summer maiden's ears, so her volume didn't matter. It did make Tyrian flinch, though.

"We must retreat," Hazel said resolutely, the steadiness returning to his voice. He might've had his doubts, but he rarely ever missed a chance to look tough and try to one-up Ruby.

She wasn't having it this time, though.

"We can't turn back. Three days, wasted? And then another three days to get to the summit, however long it takes to run back home to Evernight with our tails tucked between our legs, restock, and fly back? That's too much down time."

"This is a marathon, not a sprint. Remember, even if we found and slew the maiden, we would need to plan for our return trip. There's at least two days of hiking left to the peak, meaning that we have seven days total ahead of us." He hoisted his own backpack off his shoulders and gestured to the remaining materials on the back of the hound. "If we ration carefully, we might have two and a half days of food and water left. Rose. We must turn back."

Ruby looked to Tyrian for support.

"Nuestras muertes serían un fracaso para la diosa, peor que cualquier retirada," he said meekly.

Ruby rolled her eyes. The two of them were being stupid. If they failed this, Salem might…everything might…

They'd spent so long…

Ruby could almost taste…

No. No, they weren't going back. Ruby looked up the cliff that needed scaling and did her best to approximate its height. She placed it at roughly between eight hundred to one thousand feet. They lacked climbing equipment, and no amount of gumption could replace rope and harnesses, but the hound still had one pack with it. If they used that for Hazel, who was probably too ungainly to ascend the slope without it, Tyrian could hang on his back, and Ruby could use her semblance to run halfway up. She would probably run out of steam halfway and need to catch her breath, but if she stabbed Crescent Rose into the rock face deep enough, it could make a decent perch.

"Stop thinking whatever it is you're thinking. Rose, it's over."

"Ruby, por favor. Y-Yo asumiré la culpa."

At the halfway point, she could run the rest of the way up by jumping off her scythe. That meant leaving it behind, but Hazel could grab it on his way after her. It might take a couple of tries, but if she missed, a fall from a thousand feet or less wouldn't kill someone with aura. Heck, it might not even break her legs.

Sighing, Ruby reached into the hound's remaining backpack and pulled out a large canteen of water. As she unscrewed the lid, it took all her willpower not to gulp down the lukewarm beverage within.

We've come too far. I don't get to quit, even if I want to.

Ruby inverted the canteen, pouring its contents onto the ground.

Hazel reacted faster than Tyrian, panickily grabbing it out of her hands and flipping it right side up, but by the time he did, it was almost entirely empty save for a few drops. He held the empty cannister in his hands for a few seconds before crushing it within his grip.

Tyrian's eyes widened, and he let out a deep breath of air.

Ruby shrugged. "Now we don't have the rations to make the trip back to the airship at the base either. Now, if Lìxià lives at the top of this mountain and never comes down because it's such a good hiding spot, she must have food and drink up there for herself. If we're lucky, she even has a farm and a well up there with her, but even if it's just a full pantry and a case of water bottles in a log cabin, our only hope of survival is at the top of the mountain."

Ruby took the squished canteen out of Hazel's fingers, which offered no resistance. Good – he might be pissed, and they all were going to be thirsty for the next leg of the journey, but no one was going to be arguing with Ruby's plan.

Ruby hurled the empty jug as far as she could away from them. "Now let's go. We're burning daylight."

Coming Soon – Ruby's Climb

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #902 – Afraid of getting mugged when you go out jogging? Carry a whistle with you. That way, you can whistle a nice tune and put the mugger in a good enough mood to spare you.

Chapter Text

If looks could kill, then Hazel's deathglare would be drilling a hole into the back of her skull, inserting a hooked rod into her brain cavity to scoop out her gray matter, and frying it on the stovetop to serve en flambe.

Fortunately, looks could not kill, and neither could Hazel's disapproval. Ruby just walked in front of the man, and she didn't have to see his little temper tantrum at not having had to give up. Seriously, there were times when she wondered why Salem kept someone who was this big of a baby around.

Except I don't. He's right; turning back would be the right thing to do. Any sane person would – hell, even Tyrian wants to, and he's insane.

She was only pressing on because of that small part of her that dared to hope this mission Ozpin had laid on her shoulders would eventually end. It had been fed a minute quantity of hope, and now it was too hungry for more to turn back. Ruby was gambling her life and the lives of her companions that Lìxià the Summer maiden would have enough supplies to get them back down the mountain.

But it's not like those are important things. It would be a good thing overall if Tyrian and Hazel died, and my own life has been…empty, let's call it, ever since I killed Uncle Qrow. Finding redemption at the top of Mount Serathusa would be great, but it's a long shot.

They were now about three quarters of the way up the face of the mountain, and things were intensifying with every step. The sandstorms were pretty much in full swing perpetually, but the heat was somehow even more intense despite the sand cover. Ruby didn't regret destroying their water, but her body was feeling the burn as she and her two companions split one last canteen between the three of them. It was a blessing that the hound didn't eat or drink.

If we die, I guess he gets to go home. Or would he just sit here and wait for orders? Salem told him to help us and didn't give him explicit instructions to return home in the event of failure.

Maybe Cinder would find him when Salem went back to Plan A.

I wonder if she really would kill Cinder if I died. Like, she said that it would be proof that Cinder didn't train me hard enough, but if I did die, killing her last remaining loyal female minion wouldn't do much to bring me back.

…but then again, Salem needs Cinder to know with absolute certainty that it's not an empty threat.

…but then again again, if I'm dead, it wouldn't matter. There's no way to know, I guess.

Ruby tried to shift her brain away from such morbid thoughts and scanned the horizon for signs of Grimm activity. She'd wanted to do some minor scouting using Grubbie at nights just to make their walk during the day that much easier, but the rip-roaring winds had nearly buffeted her Scarab into an early g̶r̶a̶v̶e̶ pile of Grimm ash, so that was a no-go.

Grimm were the one thing that didn't scale up as they got higher. They were simple creatures, and while they would follow a human into a sandstorm without a second thought for their own safety, they had no reason to risk their lives without any sapient bait to lure them this far out.

These sandstorms…I wonder if they're truly natural or if it's a sign we're getting closer to our quarry. It's been nearly continuous since we got up here.

The sands weren't so thick that Ruby couldn't see ahead, but without the goggles Hazel had packed, she would've gone blind one hundred times over by now.

If it were Lìxià's powers whipping up the desert, it would be an effective deterrent. Any who came to disturb her were motivated to turn back the other way, and if they wanted to challenge her to combat, their aura would take a hit from being ground out by the rough grit. Ruby's first and second shawl had been shredded, and she was starting to feel the sand through Tyrian's loaned one.

The men had foregone any protection and were braving the weather. According to them, Ruby's safety as the maiden rival was paramount, and they could afford to expend their aura slightly to ensure she was covered.

Back to what I was thinking before, though – is this the power of the maiden? If it is, that means it's because of our intrusion or because she has a perpetual shield of hurricane-speed dust up around her home. If it's the former, we're screwed because she knows we're coming. If it's the latter, we're screwed because she's so powerful that she can keep up an eternal sirocco of wind and san as an added layer of defense.

On the eve of the fifth day, when Hazel declared they were breaking camp and struggled to erect the poles for their makeshift tent, Ruby got to work on preparing Crescent for combat. She didn't have any tools or parts with her, but her innate knowledge of the inner workings of the weapon, a blade she understood better than her own body, was enough.

The hound curled up and rested its head against the side of her thigh as she sat cross-legged in the sand. Ruby gave it a quick tussle on the bony head before checking and rotating the movable joints on her scythe. She had no reason to suspect anything was out of spec, but this was going to be the fight of her life, and she refused to lose it because of something stupid like a misfire at a key time.

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Tyrian sitting down in front of her. He was a few feet away and also cross legged, angled so that he faced her directly. Ruby continued to tune up her scythe, tightening what screws she could and brushing off any sand that had gotten into the cracks.

The Faunus said nothing to her, so Ruby said nothing back. Both just sat in one another's presence, content to let the silence do the speaking for them.

Ruby paused the work on her scythe to give the hound another pat just as Hazel joined them. Tyrian scooched over, adjusting so that their three bodies could form the three points of a triangle. He too remained quiet.

We're going to find Lìxià tomorrow. I'd be amazed if all four of us make it out alive.

No one said a word, but their tone was somber. The two huntsmen opposite her understood it. Tomorrow, everything was going to change. No longer would she be Ruby, the zany disciple of Cinder who had randomly caught Salem's attention by a quirk in her eye color and just barely scraped by in Evernight among the murderers and thieves.

If she survived the fight, Ruby Rose would be swallowed whole by the destiny Salem had in mind for her.

The sandstorm had dissipated when she awoke several hours before dawn broke, giving Ruby a chance to soak in a clear view of the skies from the closest point to the heavens she'd ever been. Sleep had been fitful and troublesome, but she'd forced herself to get just enough rest to remain fully functional. Hazel and Tyrian slumbered just a few feet away inside the tent, and the hound remained where she'd left it, so perfectly still one might've mistaken it for a stone statue.

The stars were no longer visible, nor was the sun, but the moon was out and provided enough light. Even though the desert was hotter than a furnace during the day, Ruby found herself shivering in the crisp early morning air.

Wrapping herself up tightly in the tattered, sandy shawl, Ruby left the tent and walked the final stretch of her journey alone.

The Summer maiden's home was a quaint little place that would've reminded Ruby of her own home in Patch but even less technologically advanced. Her eyes roved up and down the house and encampment around it and saw no signs of electrical appliances.

I guess that's how she stayed off the grid from Salem and people like Watts. To live like this, with no modern comforts or scrolls or Dust for her entire life…Lìxià must be loyal to Ozpin something fierce.

You know, I wonder how Salem ever found her. It couldn't have been the Grimm if they're so separated from her that they aren't loyal. I guess it's something I'll have to ask her when I get home.

Home.

Ruby laughed aloud. I guess I really am starting to see Evernight as home.

But not for long. This right here is the beginning of the end.

The mountain plateaued at the top, which was why she hadn't seen the small wooden house from down below, but it wasn't the only thing visible in the moonlit sky. Several rows of some sort of stalk-based crop were growing in even lines in the sand. A small lake was also nearby, filling a crater carved out of solid rock and entirely devoid of plant growth or fish. Ruby supposed that if the maiden wanted to refill her reservoir, she could just summon the rain.

Ruby knelt down at the closest edge of the lake and drank up some water, quenching the thirst that had been building ever since she'd started this journey. She considered trying to eat some of the stalk-plant to keep her strength up but ultimately decided against it. She wasn't sure if it was safe to be eaten without cooking, and fighting on an overfull stomach could ruin her worse than some minor hunger.

It might not come to fighting.

But it might.

But maybe it won't.

Ruby steeled her nerves, hoping that the pounding of her heart wouldn't be enough to send her into cardiac arrest, and knocked on the door to the handmade house.

This was a risk, and probably an unnecessary one at that, but Ruby had made up her mind. She hadn't had to kill an innocent person on her mission yet, and if there were even a one in a quadrillion chance she could keep it that way, she was going to act on it.

No response came from inside after two minutes, so Ruby knocked again, but harder and more times this time.

"Lìxià? Can you come out? I'm sorry to wake you up so late, but –"

The door swung open, and Ruby found herself facing the pointed end of a two-pronged pitchfork held by a fierce-looking, middle-aged woman. Her pale skin seemed paradoxical given that she lived in such a sunny place, but every inch of exposed flesh was rippling with muscles. She wasn't wearing any visible armor and was garbed in simple brown toga, but the expression on her face said she meant business. Ruby took two wide steps back and held up her hands to show that she was unarmed. Well, minus the giant war scythe on her back.

"When the sun drops beneath the clouds, who takes its place?" the woman asked.

Ruby's breath caught. "I…whuh?"

"When the sun drops beneath the clouds, who takes its place?" she repeated.

"I don't know, uhhhh…the moon?" Ruby guessed.

"You aren't her," said Lìxià, if this was her. After the whole 'White Fang meeting' debacle back in Vale, Ruby wasn't taking chances by trusting Salem at her word.

"I'm not who? Look, Miss Lìxià, I'd like to speak with you. I just wanna talk, okay?"

The pitchfork, which upon closer inspection Ruby realized was just as much a farming implement as her own scythe, didn't go down. Ruby held her hands up even higher, hoping her good intentions would be made clear by her non-threatening posture.

"Can I come in?" Ruby asked.

"State your business and leave."

Ruby looked over the woman's shoulder at the inside of her house. There was little more than a bed, a single chair, a table, and a few wooden chests inside. "Miss, I'm already here, and there's nothing worth hiding in there. I don't think it makes a difference if I state my business inside or outside, other than us being cold."

The woman rotated her pitchfork to switch it to her dominant hand.

"Look, miss. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have knocked." She shrugged. "I just wanna talk. I'm not asking you to hand over the pitchfork or put it down or something."

Lìxià's fingers curled around the shaft of her weapon with such a crushing grip that Ruby swore she saw the woman's aura crackle, but she took a step back.

"Enter."

Ruby smiled and nodded, walking through the doorway. "Thanks."

"Sit. In the chair."

Ruby complied. Without keeping her eyes off of Ruby, Lìxià took a seat on the middle of the bed.

"Now, you wanted to speak. Speak."

"I'm here on behalf of Ozpin."

Lìxià moved faster than Ruby could react. Her dark gray hair whipped through the air as she shot out of her bed and smacked Ruby's head with the butt of her weapon, knocking her out of the chair and onto the earthen ground.

There's…There's no floor here. She made walls to protect her from the elements, but she walks on the rocks and sand. I've heard of spartan living, but this is taking it to the next level.

"You lie!" screamed the woman. "You didn't know the answer! Liar!"

Ruby stayed down on the ground, hoping her deferential posture would be interpreted as a sign of goodwill. "If Ozpin gave you some code riddle, he didn't tell me. He wasn't planning on me coming here, but my work with him sent me your way."

"No more tricks." One of the pitchfork's pronged tapped against Ruby's throat, just enough to avoid breaking the skin. "You'll say what you have to say, or Original Sin will skewer you like a bale of hay."

Ruby nodded. She might not like being held at forkpoint, but telling her story was her only goal here.

"My name is Ruby Rose. I'm a huntress, or at least I was going to be one. You see, this thief guy noticed me when I was just chilling in a Dust shop one night, and…"

The story Ruby wove with a pitchfork to her neck was a wild one, an unbelievable one, an insane, crazy, way-out-there fable that only a madwoman would have bothered to believe.

It was also completely true.

She spun a wild web of truths, describing how she'd had entrance to Beacon granted on a headmaster's whim and rescinded just as abruptly by the chance cold she caught from another student.

She wove an insane tale of a ricocheting bullet from an improperly handled firearm striking an innocent man, only for another innocent man to offer absolution in the form of a second death.

She babbled nonsense about how a minion of a minion of Salem had picked her up, how Salem had chosen her for some unknown reason related to her silver eyes to be the grand executioner of her destructive vision for the future, how minions of far more loyalty and greater skill had been cast aside for no reason other than a vengeful woman's spite against the reincarnating headmaster.

She ranted and raved about the vile missions she'd been forced to complete, the insane company she'd had no choice but to keep, the abomination that had burrowed its way beneath her very skin and turned her part monster.

She beguiled the woman with a firsthand account of how Raven Branwen had revealed herself far earlier than anyone – Ozpin, Salem, or Ruby – could have expected, and how it had forced her to realize that she needed to become a maiden to destroy a maiden.

She showed Lìxià her Scarab.

And when the story of Ruby Rose's epic origins was complete, she waited for the woman's response.

Lìxià kept the pitchfork at Ruby's throat, and her anger did not dissipate.

"And what? You want me to destroy this stepmother of yours?"

"No," Ruby said, shaking her head as much as she could without getting skewered. "Her semblance is countered best by my own. I need to bring her down myself."

She scowled. "Then you're here to kill me."

"I was hoping to avoid that."

"Maiden powers transfer upon death, so unless you want to wait until I pass…"

Ruby sucked in a big breath of air. This wasn't going as well as she'd hoped it might…well, as she'd dared to dream it might. In a best case scenario, the Summer maiden would sympathize with Ruby's plight, not clash with every aspect of it.

"Have you any idea how I've lived the past twenty years?" Lìxià said, her eyes flaring manically. It was the kind of look Ruby had only seen before on news footage of criminals in court being sentenced – the crazed look of someone who no longer cared for their own life or wellbeing. This maiden knew no fear. "Ozpin impressed upon me the nature of my burden, and I have taken it upon myself to uphold my solitude to the highest standard there could be. My task is a demanding one, but I have risen to meet it with far greater aptitude and devotion than any other fleeting damsel would who could be thrust into it. My day is this and nothing more: I wake, I eat, and I train. I train until my mind burns and my bones break, all for the day that the enemy would show up at my doorstep, wearing the same colors you and your wretched creature boast, to claim my gods-granted powers. And you expect me to do what, slit my own throat so that you may inherit them for the busywork our commander assigned you?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't want you to have to die. If I used the Scarab, I can get the powers, and it won't kill you. It shouldn't. I don't for sure, but I…"

She trailed off at the incredulous look on Lìxià's face. Her own uncertainty in regard to her plan made her feel very small in the face of this regimented superwoman who seemed to have a far greater handle on accomplishing what was expected of her.

"Miss, I don't want you to die," Ruby pleaded. "If we fight and I kill you and steal the power, I'd be that much closer to fulfilling my mission, but I don't want to have to lose myself on the way. I'm trying to save you."

"If you'd jeopardize your labor out of fear for your immortal soul, you aren't fit to be the one to complete it," Lìxià said. Surprisingly, she retracted her weapon and gestured for Ruby to stand. "And you're a fool if you think my life has any meaning beyond safeguarding these powers."

Ruby closed her eyes and shook her head, but Lìxià kept speaking.

"I am not like other humans. I need no companionship, no luxuries, no civilization. The mission Ozpin assigned me is the only life I need. Our goals are parallel; we cannot both succeed. Turn back, girl. Go home."

"I can't."

"Find Ozpin. I'm sure he'll release you from –"

"No," Ruby said. "No, I have my job. And I have to do it, for the sake of the world."

Lìxià smiled. "Then our convictions shall dictate which one of us is worthy to complete our missions. Mine to hold the powers, yours to rob."

"Please," Ruby said. "I'm on your side."

"Can I be sure?" Lìxià said. "Can I truly know this isn't a grand ploy to gain my trust? You may yet be a perjurer and a wretch, too weak to best me in plain combat and resorting to underhanded tactics. By your own word, you slew Ozpin, and you now bear a creature. For all I know, it may be the mind of that beast concocting this plan, and you its unwilling slave."

There was nothing Ruby could say or do to convince this woman of the truth. Honestly, Ruby wasn't entirely sure that she was doing the right thing, at the end of the day. The Spring maiden's powers were so dangerous because they got the relic that could reveal the locations of other maidens and relics, but if she claimed this maiden's powers here and now, it was all moot.

But if she turned back now…

Lìxià's face softened, and she placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I believe you. I believe you, girl, that you are just a victim of circumstances far beyond your control much like the child I once was when I became a maiden. But…"

"…you can't be sure," Ruby finished for her.

She nodded.

Ruby stepped back, and the hand fell away from her.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lìxià. I'm so sorry."

Lìxià nodded. "I know."

Turning around, Ruby walked out the door. Morning was near, and the shimmering rays of sunlight could be seen peeking out above the horizon. Ruby normally loved watching sunrises, but she had a feeling the sight of them would soon be tainted forever in her eyes. Her fingers were shaking like a hummingbird as she took Crescent Rose off her back and extended it to its full length.

The Summer maiden followed her out, shutting the door behind her. The pitchfork she held, Original Sin, fell to her side as she rose into the air, fire exploding in violent jets out of her eyes. Her expression looked sorrowful; evidently, she was just as displeased with the prospect of killing Ruby as Ruby was with the prospect of having to kill her.

The wind began to pick up.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Blood

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #970 – Never under any circumstances use an Uno Reverse Card in real life. You don't want to know what happens when someone else follows it up with a Wild Draw Four.

Chapter Text

If there was any small kindness, it was that the Summer maiden engaged her in close combat rather than flying high and raining down hellfire and meteor showers from above.

It might've been a sign of respect, showing that Ruby's tale had touched her heart and persuaded her to give the young maiden-usurper a fair chance. It might have been a preference for hand-to-hand fighting; the maiden was a beefy woman and did have a melee weapon. It might've just been arrogance. Either way, it was a blessing, because it gave Ruby the chance to be demolished in a fair fight rather than from afar.

In a land of sandstorms, control of the weather made one a dangerous woman. Lìxià's powers were immense, and she was able to envelop herself in a bubble of air and ravage the world around her with a massive, abrasive cloud of sand. Ruby had once needed to clean the muzzle of Crescent Rose by sandblasting, and now she knew how it felt to be the gun part inside that tiny chamber.

Still, she wasn't losing without inflicting some damage. The pitchfork that the woman wielded, Original Sin, didn't mechshift, but it was enhanced by metal braces running up and down the length of the wooden haft. It was a poor huntress' weapon, but the weapon of a huntress just the same.

And yet, despite all her claims of training day in and day out, Lìxià wasn't much better as melee than Ruby.

Her body is tough, but her form is weak. She's trained on her own, with no teacher to learn from or partner to spar against. Her obsessive devotion to isolation might be a strength in any other scenario, but it's made her stagnate. I, on the other hand, have been fighting for my life against a wide variety of opponents for the months I've been with Salem. Cinder condensed entire years' worth of training into our brief time together, and I was up against the drones in Atlas multiple times every day for nearly a month.

Ruby also had the advantage of having a weapon that she'd been modifying and perfecting since birth, almost. Crescent Rose could use Dust, had shock absorbers to eat reverberations and spare her hands, and mechshifted into multiple forms.

On top of that, Ruby's shawl gave her decent defense against the sandstorm. Her semblance was incredibly useful in combat, and the maiden had yet to even use her own. The advantages in her favor seemed to be piled high.

The maiden powers might be the be-all and end-all, but this particular maiden wasn't fundamentally better than Ruby. She certainly was winning right now, but she wasn't invincible, and to Ruby, that made a world of difference.

If she was losing, that meant she wasn't fighting aggressively enough. Ruby decided to go on the offensive.

A short burst of sniper fire shepherded the maiden towards the house in which she lived. Ruby didn't land many of her shots, but the threat of damage was enough to push her back. Lìxià tried to regain the lost ground by thrusting forth her pitchfork, but Ruby recognized it as a feint and didn't take the bait.

Her semblance activated twice in short succession. The first time was to body-slam Lìxià into the wooden wall of her abode, and the second time was to use the spinning attack she had practiced on Tyrian. With her back to the wall, literally, Lìxià took five back-to-back hits from the blade of Crescent Rose before she managed to blow Ruby away with a strong gust of wind.

Leaning into it, Ruby peppered her enemy with even more gunshots, simultaneously using the action to control her flight and land closer to the edge of the small lake.

Maiden powers are elemental, and water is an element. It might seem like obvious bait, but she hasn't fought anyone in twenty years, so her talent for detecting tricks must be rusty.

Ruby switched Crescent Rose into a war scythe and turned her back to the lake. Right on cue, the sound of rushing water filled her ears.

She turned around like a whirlwind, slicing through the crashing wave of water with her scythe and deflecting the attack entirely. However, that turned her back to Lìxià herself, and she roared forward with the power of flight.

Ruby had no choice but to take the hit as the twin prongs of Lìxià's pitchfork shot into her. Grunting through the pain, she kicked backwards randomly and was rewarded with a satisfying growl as her foot hit her enemy's stomach.

Ruby jumped off her other foot and landed another kick against her opponent's head. Catching herself in a handstand before she fell to the ground, she rolled in a single fluid motion into a crouch and shot two more shots into Lìxià's face.

"KRAAAAH!"

The world exploded in flames as Lìxià threw her arms down reflexively. Ruby's aura protected her, but that attack was much heavier than the gradual aura-drain of the sandstorms.

She's only better than me when she busts out her maiden powers, but she's a lot better than me when she does.

Ruby needed to end this fight quickly. Her aura was slow to regenerate relatively, and she was probably down to 50% already.

By her count, she had about ten more shots left on Crescent Rose. Her original plan had been to use them primarily as a means to move herself about the battlefield, but that no longer seemed like a feasibly strategy if random explosions of fire could end the battle at any moment.

Ruby mentally commanded Grubbie to exit out of her hand and crawl onto the tip of Crescent. From this distance and with all of the winds swirling around in a chaotic frenzy, it was probably all but impossible for Lìxià to see him, which was what Ruby was counting on.

Swinging her scythe like a cricket bat, Ruby intentionally missed the hit and let her Scarab sail through the air until it was behind Lìxià's back. It held its position on the ground, awaiting Ruby's order and letting its thick bone plating protect it from the dust.

Ruby charged forward, locking her own blade into her enemy's until they were both pressing forward with all their might just to hold back the other's weapon. The Summer maiden was the stronger woman of the two, but Ruby had angled Crescent so that the barrel faced away from her. Thus, when she discharged five of her remaining shots one after the other, it gave her enough of a boost to push her back towards where Grubbie lay in waiting.

Two more shots were fired in extremely short succession, enabling Ruby to strike the enemy right at the center of her chest and knock her off her feet.

Her last three shots were used to bring Crescent down in a mighty sweep that dug its tip nearly a foot into the rock, pinning Lìxià. Ruby wrapped her tiny hands around her opponent's thick neck did her best to pretend that her grand strategy was to choke her out. Meanwhile, Grubbie bit his mandibles into her hair, hidden from sight and likely forgotten altogether by the maiden.

I shouldn't have shown him to her. Dust, I shouldn't have even come to her.

Ruby couldn't bring herself to regret it. Even if this mission was the death of her, making the choice to try to spare her opponent mattered. If Salem's victory condition was corrupting Ruby into a true villain, then holding herself back and not doing that would be a win in Ruby's eyes.

Two strong arms pried two far weaker hands away, and Ruby found the tables turned on her as Lìxià wrapped her much larger fingers around her throat. She saw it coming, but her brain took too long to realize what it meant, and she wasn't able to get a breath in before her windpipe was clamped down on.

Lìxià's lips were moving, and she was probably saying something really heartful or maybe some great trash talk, but Ruby couldn't hear it over the shrieking whip of the winds. The maiden had previously protected herself from the sandstorm by using a small bubble of air to shield herself, but now that Ruby was in her personal space, she'd dropped the shield and let the sands buffet them both.

She cares more about stopping me than saving herself. She really wasn't lying when she said that her own life doesn't matter as much as her mission.

If they both died, who would get the power? Ruby frowned at the thought of both women failing. If that happened, Ruby's interference would only have made the situation worse by depriving a trained maiden of her powers and forcing it into an untrained host.

I can't let that happen. It's horrible, but I need to kill her to ensure that it doesn't all go to waste. Her death will have a purpose if I'm the one to end her life.

Her vision started to turn black, indicating that a loss of consciousness from asphyxiation was coming, so Ruby gave Grubbie the command. She watched as he crawled from her hair onto her face and into her open mouth with the speed and urgency of a bolt of lightning.

Lìxià clearly had forgotten about him or assumed him to be too weak to matter, and she would pay the price for her shortsightedness. Grubbie's legs and teeth were razor sharp, so every step he took inside of her mouth was like a ball of barbed wire being swallowed, and that wasn't even the worst of it. Around halfway on the journey through her esophagus (when he was thoroughly protected from any jaw-clenching based defense or stomach acids), he dug his feet into the lining of her throat and held tight.

It must've been a special kind of agony, to be actively choked by an enemy on the inside. Ruby tried not to think about it as she desperately crawled over the where she'd dropped Crescent Rose. Lìxià was pounding her fist into her upper chest in an attempt to dislodge Grubbie, but Ruby knew it was over for her.

She had to pull up and down, wobbling Crescent left and right until it slowly popped out of the solid rock she'd stabbed it down into. There were some scratches on her baby from being so poorly treated, but Ruby could barely focus on that right now.

It was time.

Lìxià's eyes weren't full of fear as Ruby raised her scythe for the killing blow, nor were they angry or vengeful. She just looked disappointed in herself for having failed.

But you haven't failed, Ruby wanted to say. Salem isn't getting the powers; I am, and I have every intention of defecting back to Ozpin once Raven is taken care of.

With Grubbie preoccupied by choking the maiden, there was no way Ruby could use him to steal away the powers nonlethally. Killing her was the only way.

I'm so sorry, Lìxià. This isn't what I wanted. I tried to find another way.

This felt so wrong. Not just because killing a good guy was inherently wrong, but because she was doing more than just killing her. Ruby was rendering all the years she'd spent living in isolation, safeguarding the maiden powers by sequestering herself away from the world, useless. The worst part about –

Ruby felt something in her back.

Then it was in her front.

Looking down, she saw a tendril of water poking out of a hole in her gut. Blood was seeping out past her skin into the water, slowly diffusing around randomly as it left her body. Ruby turned her head over her shoulder to see the water trailing back to the lake from which it had come.

I really shouldn't have spent all that time thinking about stuff, Ruby thought to herself as she collapsed. I should've just killed her.

Grubbie remained inside Lìxià's throat when she'd done the attack, steadfast in his obedience to Ruby's orders to disable her from within. When Ruby went down, he remained just as compliant and continued to block air from entering her lungs.

Both women were in grievous danger now. Ruby was struggling to clutch her stomach enough to prevent it from losing too much blood while simultaneously dragging herself away from the water to prevent another attack, and Lìxià was probably only a few breaths away from losing consciousness.

Ruby's red aura was slowly patching the hole in her stomach back together, and while it wouldn't be enough to save her entirely, she could in theory last until it broke with enough of the damage undone to survive – assuming the tendrils of water that were slowly inching after her didn't end her life first. The maiden was tiring, and so her magic's pursuit slowed as well, meaning the water was only as fast as a crawling Ruby.

The disappointed look was gone from the Summer maiden's eyes, replaced by a face of solid, determined steel. She was enjoying this game of theirs, now armed with a second chance to slay her would-be usurper.

It was a game of chicken for Ruby at this point. If she bled out and died, Grubbie would have no one to call him off, and he would kill Lìxià by asphyxiation. The nightmare scenario from before would come true, and both women would die horribly meaningless deaths.

Alternatively, if Ruby held fast for just a little bit longer and outlived Lìxià, the powers of the Summer maiden would transfer to her, and she could use the boost to survive her injuries. The mission would go on, and Ruby's sad little life would too.

So, did she gamble on both their lives, risking the powers of the Summer maiden? Or did she call off Grubbie and let Lìxià live to keep them safe for another twenty years of loneliness?

There was another option.

No.

It had almost zero chance of success.

I can't. Ozpin died to get me this chance, and I've already nearly blown it by announcing myself to her.

But it would get Ruby everything. No one would have to die.

I shouldn't even think it.

If Ruby recalled Grubbie…

This is madness.

…and ignored healing herself altogether, instead using that precious aura of hers to fight…

I can NOT do this.

…and she was able to defeat Lìxià in combat…

Gambling against the water tentacles chasing after me is a safer bet.

…then she could use Grubbie to steal the maiden powers, save herself, and spare her enemy.

It would never work.

But it might.

And 'might' was all Ruby needed.

Grubbie offered no disagreement as Ruby bade him climb his saliva covered butt out of Lìxià's throat. Ruby was grateful that he managed to shake off most of the gross body fluids that coated him and run them off into the sand by the time he returned home.

Whenever he entered her body, it never felt like being pierced or stabbed, which was what she would've expected. The little buddy literally crawled into her skin, but there was no pain.

Standing hurt, and gripping her scythe hurt even more, but Ruby couldn't afford to numb the pain by focusing her aura on the wound. This was a risky gambit, one that neither Ozpin nor Salem would approve of if they were here to see it.

But they weren't here, and Ruby couldn't find any loyalty to either of them when she searched around in the deepest recesses of her heart. Salem was a monster who surrounded herself with other monsters, and Ozpin's will no longer held the authority he once had.

Ruby had had close encounters with three supposedly 'well-hidden' maidens while operating under Salem's orders, and she'd learned that Lionheart was a traitor, something which Ozpin had no clue about based on what he'd said when she'd last spoken to him. For all that he might have been a good man, he wasn't a role model to her anymore. There were cracks in his castle, large cracks that the enemy could and had used to slip through.

Ruby didn't know what she was doing anymore. But she trusted herself more than she trusted anyone else.

Without Grubbie to stall her, Lìxià was now free to unleash a disastrous torrent of elemental magic in every which direction. The brush with death must have been enough to convince her that she would need to step up her game if she needed to win. It certainly had for Ruby.

To use her Scarab to steal the powers, she needed to get a clear shot on Lìxià's face and disable any means of her disrupting the transfer midway through. That meant disarming her of her pitchfork, breaking her aura, and ensuring her maiden powers couldn't be used. Ruby had already completed the first step (the pitchfork was nowhere to be seen, probably buried under a good foot of sand that its wielder had kicked up), and if she did the second, a simple punch to the head would knock the maiden out. Then, she could drain the powers, heal her own wounds, and leave before anyone had to get hurt.

Using her semblance at half power gave her enough speed to get out of the way when bolts of lightning arced down upon her while not using up her own aura, but she would never win by letting her opponent keep on the offensive. Lìxià was floating in the air now, so Ruby ran over to her house and kicked off the wall to gain some altitude. Well, she tried to do that, but her stomach was hurting, so she ended up desperately scrambling up the side of the building and collapsing in exhaustion of the roof.

Gasping for breath, she righted herself just in time to get smashed in the face by a large chunk of ice. It knocked her clean over the building and onto the other side.

"AAAH!"

Ruby landed in the sand and held back the tears of pain. This had been a mistake.

But it wasn't over. Not until Ruby was dead. The pain might have been a burning, searing source of agony, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins was enough to keep her moving. Clamoring up against the side of the building, she crawled along the base over to the right side.

When Lìxià floated right over the cabin expecting a crumpled heap of an adversary, Ruby used her semblance to jump straight up into her from underneath. The wind was so fast that the petals she left behind were gone before she'd even reached her target. It was tempting to headbutt her or do some other visceral action with her body itself as the weapon, but her aura was too low, so she smashed Crescent between the woman's legs as hard as she could.

It landed a clean hit, and Ruby followed up with an overhead swing that knocked the maiden down beneath her. Lìxià fell out of the sky, having lost her concentration, and Ruby landed right on top of her.

Only one of their auras broke.

Coming Soon – Ruby's First Kill

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #129 – Always look up if a body part grows back before severing it off.

Ruby's Tip #222 – Want to buy expensive video games, but you don't have enough dough? Combine water, milk, and sugar at a ratio of 3:3:2. Heat to 120°F and stir until mixed. Add yeast (volume will vary depending on desired consistency) and let sit 10 minutes covered. Beat in one egg and 2.25 cups flour for every 10 rolls desired. Kneed until just mixed (do not overmix). Separate into 2 ounce balls and bake at 400°F. Sell the rolls at a bake sale to get enough dough to buy the video games.

Chapter Text

It was Ruby whose aura broke.

No…no…

The Summer maiden cracked her own neck both ways and roughly shoved the smaller woman off of her back. Her body was covered in blood, but none of it was her own.

I took so many risks that I shouldn't have. Really, for all that I blame Ozpin, this was my fault that I'm here in this situation right now more than his.

But was that a problem? 'Here in this situation right' now meant dying. Meant release.

"You fight like an animal, child," said the Summer maiden. "I'd fear the day you became a maiden if this was what you could accomplish on your own."

Ruby tried to say something, but all she could do was spit out a wad of blood. It probably looked like some sort of final display of defiance to the maiden who was now retrieving her pitchfork, but Ruby had actually been about to beg for mercy if she still had her voice.

"My convictions were stronger than yours, and I claim victory," said the older woman, digging out Original Sin from an elevated pile of sand. "But you didn't fail. Failure is not giving it your all, not living up to your potential. You pushed yourself as hard as you could – a warrior can always tell – and for that, you have my respect. The family member of yours that you killed, Qreed, would be proud."

Qrow…Qrow, I'm sorry it was all for nothing…

Her brain knew that using one hand to try and grip onto loose sand in a desperate attempt to crawl away was futile, but there was something so immensely satisfying about trying. Everyone always imagined that they would bravely face death with a rebellious smile, but when the prospect of becoming nothing actually became an imminent threat, all confidence died an ugly death. What Ruby wouldn't have given for just a few more days with her family…

The pitchfork's two prongs tapped Ruby in her throat again, much like that had earlier tonight. This time, though, they punctured her skin and drew a thin trickle of blood.

"If there was one thing I –"

Ruby flung the sand that was in her hand into the maiden's eyes. Lìxià grunted in surprise and instinctively took a step back, giving Ruby a chance to raise her leg and kick in into the woman's kneecap. Again and again, her boot slammed against the temporarily blinded maiden's joint, until there was a loud cracking noise.

The crack was Ruby's leg breaking.

"Nrrrrauauuueeegh!"

It had been like kicking against a brick wall, and Ruby was unused to how weak she was without aura. In her desperation to buy just another second of time, Ruby had gone too far, and her only reward was getting to die with even more pain.

Lìxià, still covering her eyes with her hand, splayed out a few fingers on the hand that held her pitchfork. A perfect sphere of water rose out of the lake, losing occasional drops and squirts of inconsequential volume here and there as it floated towards and encompassed her head. The maiden's shoulders sagged as the water cleared away Ruby's pocket sand. From her lack of reaction, Ruby guessed that she hadn't even felt the kicks.

The sun had risen entirely now, its entire mass finally above the horizon. Ruby took one last look at it as tears filled her eyes.

It had been the dead of night when she'd left to find the maiden, she'd spent much of the time before dawn walking up the last leg of the mountain. Thus, she'd assumed that even if Hazel and Tyrian woke up and realized what had happened, the time it would take them to catch up would be enough to give Ruby a moment of privacy with the Summer maiden. Back when Ruby thought there was still a chance of Lìxià peacefully handing over her powers, that would have been necessary.

She was proven right – the two men were too far behind to reasonably catch up. Neither of them showed up for the entire duration of the fight, even though she could have desperately used their aid right about now.

But she had forgotten that the hound could fly.

Ruby instinctually wanted to turn away. The sight of blood didn't typically bother her, but never before had she seen such a gruesome scene. Well, maybe Uncle Qrow's death, and Ozpin's too, but she'd gone into shock after those and then immediately been taken away from or fled those scenes. This time, she got an eyeful of everything, and because Lìxià was the maiden, Ruby wasn't allowed to look away. Turning her eyes from an enemy who still drew breath was a cardinal sin in the battle.

Her hound was amazingly still, despite the arm in its mouth. Ruby had no idea what orders Hazel and Tyrian had given it, but it seemed to understand that its objective was to impair the maiden without killing her. The two men clearly kept their heads in the game. With its job complete, the hound was now patiently seated on the hot ground as blood dripped down the front of its snout and pooled up in the sand.

Lìxià's aura was gone and her body disabled. There was blood hemorrhaging out of the ripped flesh as her shoulder, meaning that Ruby had to do this quickly before she passed on.

This was the task that Grubbie had been formed for, and he knew instinctively how to do it. Ruby just let him take the lead and watched.

Halfway burrowed into her hand, he began to emanate a faint golden glow, the same shade as pee when Ruby hadn't drunk water in a long time. His mandibles spread apart, and he spit/vomited up some sort of black stringy fibers across Lìxià's face. The maiden was struggling as furiously as one who had been literally disarmed could, but the fight had left her body when the hound had dropped out of the sky and sank its fangs into her shoulder. Ruby could tell by the look in her eyes that this sudden upset had infuriated her, and she would have slit her own throat if she had the means just to avoid the transfer from going through.

She can tell the hound of my false loyalties if she wished, but only after she's already lost the power and her mouth isn't covered in beetle snot. At that point, it's up to her if she chooses to value her own spite over my own missions.

Ruby had best not risk it.

"Fly down to the others," Ruby said to the seated beast. "Show them the arm. They'll know."

"Fly down. Show." It nodded, and Ruby turned back to Lìxià as the sound of its Grimm body snapping apart to reform itself into a winged creature reverberated through the summit.

The fibers coming out of Grubbie, which Ruby might have described as Grimm spiderwebs if Grubbie weren't clearly a beetle, were pulsating infrequently like the strings of a guitar. Lìxià's eyes began to burn, and Ruby braced herself for the maiden powers to activate in some last-ditch form of self-defense, but nothing came.

The hound was gone now, flapping off into the distance in the direction that it and Ruby had come from. Two dark black circles with red outlines appeared on the ground, one beneath Ruby and the other beneath the maiden whose magic she was draining away. Indescribably, the identical circles began to swap positions rapidly, faster than Ruby's eyes could track. The one beneath Ruby moved to Lìxià, and the one beneath Lìxià appeared at Ruby's feet, and then the reverse, and back again.

Lìxià screamed, and Ruby cringed as her eyes started to close slowly. Grubbie let out a shrill screech that didn't at all sound like the noise of victory, but then again, he was a Grimm and capable of limited vocalizations.

The power – Ruby could feel it entering her body. It was welcome, but it didn't feel welcome. The Summer maiden's strength knew it was being leeched away by a subversion of its natural transference process, and while it couldn't rebel, it could balk.

And still…

It's finally mine. I'm becoming a maiden. This is actually happening.

It had been a dream of Ruby's for so long, and while this wasn't the maiden that would mean an end to her long job, it was a step in the right direction. No, that didn't describe it. This was leaping across the entire field and landing inches away from the finish line.

As the last of the maiden powers were siphoned away from Lìxià and into Ruby, she felt a greater degree of control than ever before. The world around her was hers to command. Her aura or what was left of it expanded rapidly, and the wound Ruby had incurred from the lake's water tendrils began to close up at an accelerated rate. Sand around Ruby's feet began to shake, and some of the rocks grew tiny fractures that didn't stop increasing until they became mighty cracks.

Ruby also had control over Lìxià. The Scarab didn't just grant Ruby the ability to steal a maiden's powers; it had a firm grip on Lìxià's very life energy, and that vitality was now in the palm of Ruby's hand. If she chose to, she could quash it out now and forevermore, or she could return it in full or only partially.

She returned it, of course.

She returned it.

She wanted to.

But then again…

I…what am I saying? Of course I want to let her live. I went through all this effort to spare her. Dust, I risked my life twice so she could keep hers!

But Lìxià had torn Ruby's stomach open. Grubbie was the bridge between the two women, and some innate Grimm instinct in the beetle hissed into her ear that desiring revenge was only natural. Thoughts about ending this woman's life assaulted her mind like whispers coming from every direction all at once. These voices whispered how Lìxià would be empty in life without her mission so doing her in would be a mercy, how she knew too much and couldn't be allowed to live and jeopardize Ruby's mission, how she had lost and was weak and totally deserved what was coming to her, how she had tricked Ruby into going on a mission she didn't fully understand, how she had forced Ruby to kiss her so that she could get training, how she had dragged her feet in Mistral when they were tracking the Branwens.

The scariest part was that these whispers were all in Ruby's own voice.

I can't kill her. It isn't right.

The spirit of Lìxià, now completely distinct from any ancient magicks, was in the palm of Ruby's hand. Grubbie had no hold over it. It was all up to Ruby.

All it would take was a simple choice to sever the bond, and it would be over. The life had already been taken, and Lìxià was already dead; Ruby was just vacillating over whether to return her soul and reanimate her body.

Just one command.

Just one thought.

Just one thought.

Just do it.

Do it.

Ruby keeled over as Grubbie crawled his tiny body back into her palm face first. Every nerve in her body was shot, and she felt like she could sleep for the next three days if given the option.

The peak of the mountain was a silent place. No winds were there to blow the sands back and forth, and the normal ambient noise of a high-tech city or a forest humming with life was absent.

Lìxià was crying, but it was more from the shock of the transfer than actual sadness. Ruby knew minor first aid, but that sort of thing lost its meaning when she could cauterize the amputation at the shoulder and stem the flow of blood entirely. Losing a limb so brutally could be life-threatening, but when the Summer maiden's…when the former Summer maiden's aura returned to her, her injury would scab over and equilibrate over time.

"I'm sorry about the…yeah."

It felt empty to apologize, but her emotion was genuine. She truly felt bad about this whole thing. Ruby had gotten what she'd wanted – the powers, without costing anyone their life – but her excitement at the success was tempered by an exhausted, overbearing tiredness. She might feel overjoyed later, but right now, she just felt done with it all.

Her powers were fresh, and she might be able to fly all the way back to the base of the mountain if she chose to, but her mind felt like it had just had to suffer through a three-hour written exam.

Lìxià's mouth was moving, and Ruby had to refocus her ears just to hear what was being said.

"…I do?"

Ruby rubbed at her eyes. "Huh?"

"What do I do?" she whimpered. The strong voice that had been entirely sure of itself before the fight now sounded so frail. "Ozpin said…I don't know what to…what do I do now?"

She's spent decades up here training for this one thing, and then I come up and beat her on my first try. Now she's down an arm, but worse than that, she's down a purpose in life.

"If it makes you feel any better, I was telling the truth," Ruby explained, crouching in front of the prone woman. "I really do work for the good guys, and I intend to use this power to protect, not to destroy. I have nothing to gain by lying to you anym– hey!"

All Ruby had to do to avoid the weak slap was lean back. It seemed as though their positions from before had been completely reversed; now, she was the unstoppable figure looming overhead, and her maiden-predecessor was the limp body that couldn't raise a firm hand its own defense.

"I don't care about that, about any of that!" Lìxià coughed. Though her body was broken, some of her fierce spirit from before had returned. "What you do with the power means nothing to me. Ozpin gave me this job. When I became the maiden, he told me that the most important thing I could do in my life was to protect the magic with everything I had. Now that that's done…there's nothing for me. I may as well just die."

Ruby let out a breath and cringed. As tired as she was, this was something she had to resolve here and now. If Lìxià killed herself, that would be bad or something, probably.

"You can enjoy your life."

"What life?"

She sat up, and her head turned around, gazing about the plateau with its spartan cabin, its small lake, and its miniscule crop farm (much of which was ruined from the fight). Ruby winced at that.

"I have no life. I never enjoyed being up here, but it was what I was meant to do, what Ozpin told me to do. How am I supposed to pretend I like wasting away up here without that?"

"No one's telling you to stay here," Ruby said. "Vacuo accepts all comers, and you could probably get into any kingdom except Atlas even without a passport. There's a whole life out there for you. You could find a new purpose – helping others, raising a family, living in comfort. Any of those things."

"Why?" Lìxià asked, her empty eyes falling down to Ruby's feet. "What's the point?"

Ruby sighed. This was a woman who'd spent a good portion of her life as a hermit atop a lonely mountain on the word of a man who she hadn't seen in twenty years. Ruby's reasoning meant nothing to her because her own view of the world was entirely different, and her values were so skewed that none of what Ruby could offer her would replace her emptiness.

It was an emptiness born of being completely and utterly directionless. An emptiness not unlike the blank feeling Ruby had experienced when her uncle died, and Ruby remembered what had dragged her out of her own mind.

Ozpin gave me a mission. He didn't ruin my life; he took my already ruined life and did the best he could to repair it. I bitch and moan about how much I hate him, but he was trying to save me.

She had been unfair to him in her thoughts, she now realized. It wasn't Ozpin's fault that Qrow had died, but it was Ozpin's loss, and instead of blaming the girl who'd deprived him of his ally and friend, he had been kind enough to lay down his own life so that she could have something to do, something to distract her from the guilt and pain of failure, something to fill the hole in her life.

Ruby decided to pay it forward.

"Lìxià."

The woman's head turned upwards.

"I am the Summer maiden. And I am telling you to become a huntress."

Her expression sank at Ruby's declaration, and her eyes began to fall back down to the ground. Before they could, Ruby gripped her by her hair and harshly yanked upwards, forcing the woman to face her eye-to-eye.

"Why was hiding away from the world so important? Just because Ozpin told you to, and he was a headmaster? Well, I'm a fucking maiden, so on a grand scale, my word is worth more his, and I'm telling you this: you can find a new purpose. Become a huntress – you already have the skills for it, and your pitchfork should be a good enough weapon to get you started. But don't just become any old huntress. Don't stop until you've become the best huntress in the world. Save more villages than anyone else…at least a hundred. No, two hundred. Find ten children who have no parents and give them shelter and security until they can take care of themselves. Make five hundred thousand lien on bounties for dangerous criminals who pose a threat to public safety, and donate it all to charity. I'm the Summer maiden, and I'm ordering you to do all of these things. Mark my words; this will be what gives you a new purpose. This is my job for you, Lìxià."

For her grand speech, Ruby was rewarded with a ponderous stare. "I…"

"You what? You said it yourself – you hated Ozpin's assignment, and only did it because you thought it was the highest calling you could have in life. Well, you were wrong. Who decides that protecting the maiden powers is meant to be your purpose? Ozpin isn't infallible. Neither am I, but he's dead and I'm still alive. Plus, I completed my assignment, so I have to know more than either you or him. If you were just planning to kill yourself anyways, then just do what I ask, and the Grimm will eventually get the best of you. But I don't think I'm wrong. I think you need a new purpose, so I, as the Summer maiden and probably the best remaining authority in your life, am ordering you to become a huntress and complete my other tasks. And when you finish them, go save four hundred villages, and twenty children, and –"

"A-A new…purpose…"

Ruby nodded.

"I…I accept." The woman was already in a sitting position, but she somehow fell forward into an even lower prostration. "I accept your mission, maiden."

After politely requesting that Lìxià refrain from leaving her mountainous abode until Ruby was long gone (just to ensure Hazel and Tyrian didn't get too close to her), Ruby graciously accepted a to-go meal from the woman. Her farm grew some sort of palm kidney thing or soul of palm or something; Ruby had never heard of it before. It tasted pretty nice, though.

As Ruby munched on the vegetable thing, she let out a tense breath that she'd probably been holding in since the middle of last night, when she'd figured that she would first have to end her first life.

It all worked out. My first kill turned out to be my first spare. My first sparing. My first not-a-kill. Whatever the word is, it was my first that.

Down the side of the mountain she walked. Her maiden powers were slightly in a state of flux; she could use them, but her body was telling her that any strenuous displays of magic would be too much for her. A single fireball? Fine. Making the mountain explode like a volcano? No way, bud.

When I find the others, I can just fly us down to the base of the mountain. My powers should be enough to lift Hazel once I've recovered from the weird effects of the transfer, and the hound can lift Tyrian. It might be uncomfortable for the both of us, but I don't really have the means to carry any water from Lìxià's lake without a vessel.

Then, the most curious thing happened.

As though her thoughts had been answered by divine intervention, a canteen landed at her feet. She had been so focused on eating her palm sticks that she didn't even see where it came from. Ruby knelt down briefly to pick it up.

That's weird. And it's all squished up.

Wait, isn't this mine? It looks just like the one that I dumped into the dirt. A-And Hazel crushed it before he dropped it on the –

"Hello," said a voice. "Riley."

Ruby looked up to see a white-haired woman who was dressed entirely inappropriately for the weather. The white robes in which she was garbed might have been more than enough to protect her skin from the sand, but she must've been roasting alive in the heat of the desert. It was now mid-morning, and the sun was fully risen. Plus, the colors didn't look authentically Vacuoan at all, not like the outfits Hazel had given Ruby or the toga that Lìxià had worn. The grayish blue and white looked much more…

"Atlesian," Ruby whispered. Her hands reached around to her scythe.

"You remember," the woman said. "You know who I am."

"You followed me? All this way?"

The woman drew a pair of twin swords. "It cost me greatly, but I won't forsake the men and woman, the brothers and sisters that you killed. You are going to pay for your crimes."

So, it was about that, then.

Ruby tried to whip up enough wind beneath her feet to just fly away from this encounter, but it felt like doing so was shattering her leg bones into pieces. She let go in time before the pain could bring her to her knees, but even trying had plainly been a mistake.

"For the murder of eleven soldiers of Atlas, I am placing you under arrest." The Atlesian huntress pointed her left sword, unaware of Ruby's inner turmoil. "You will resist, and I will take great pleasure in terminating you."

"I'm sorry," Ruby said. "About the people. A-Adam was the one who killed them, but that doesn't excuse the hand I had in their deaths. But I swear, I was fighting for my life. They ambushed me and my friend, and I was just trying to get her out alive."

The woman's eyes flared open in anger. "You were robbing Atlas of proprietary technology!"

"Wait, this isn't about the Southeast Convex train that we blew up? Me 'n' the White Fang?"

"No!" Her scowl widened. "Though, if you harmed the brave sons and daughters of Atlas there as well, I shall fight in their name just the same. The business of your death shall be indiscriminate in whose lost lives it avenges. It surprises me little that a criminal like you would have associations with savage Faunus scum."

Ruby racked her brains, but she couldn't remember killing anyone else associated with Atlas. She'd run into them during Ruby's eleven, but her stolen rifle had been set to nonlethal, and she hadn't done any fighting other than that.

"How did you even find me?" Ruby asked. If she could stall for time long enough, she might find it in herself to control the powers of the Summer maiden and muster enough force to skip this fight altogether.

"You aren't as clever as you think, Riley," said the woman, butchering Ruby's name again for some reason. "It was a simple matter of process of elimination. Atlas has no black market, and both Mistral and Vacuo lack the scientific infrastructure to reasonably utilize the stolen catalysts you intend to sell. That leaves Vale as your buyer, but its port security is too tight, especially since Atlas put out an alert for any smuggling operations. However, it would be a trivial matter to smuggle in the catalysts through Vacuo on the other end of Sanus, where border security is nonexistent. To that end, I made contact with some old friends during an operation three years back and put out feelers for any suspicious behavior. Then, lo and behold, an eight-foot-tall man matching the description of your infiltrator was seen purchasing authentic Vacuoan silk shawls, likely for a disguise."

"Hm." Ruby pursed her lips. "Yeah, you kinda got a lot of it wrong. Also, I'm really sorry, but who are you?"

"My name is Winter Schnee," said the woman. "And I shall be the one w–"

"No, but, like, who are you to me? Why are you following me?"

"You humiliated me," said Winter, her voice dropping. "You played me for a fool, and my men died for it."

"Played you for a fool…"

Ruby tapped her chin and racked her brains, but she couldn't for the life of her remember who this lady was.

"Stop mocking me, Riley!"

Ruby sighed in exasperation. "Again, with the thing! Seriously, who are you?"

"I was the one who led you into an ambush!"

Into an ambush…

"Wait, that was a guy," Ruby said. "Sandy brown hair, hunk, some flower pin – and besides, I didn't even kill anyone! No one got hurt!"

A glowing white circle thing appeared beneath Winter, and she lunged forward with the ferocity of an Ursa Major. Ruby managed to dodge the first sword as it swung, but the second just barely clipped her heel before she leapt out of the way.

"Don't lie!" screamed Winter. She tapped one sword onto the ground, creating another glowing circle, and pointed the other at Ruby. A stream of fire exploded from her blade. "Eleven! That many!"

Ruby clapped her hands, calling upon a small fraction of the maiden powers to dispel the air around her and from a vacuum. It acted like a shield, depriving the fire of one of the three necessary components for combustion and extinguishing it before it could hit her. Ruby may not have been a Dust user, but as a huntress aficionado, she had studied the way others expertly manipulated the elements around them, so she knew most of the best ways to do it.

But…what is she saying? Maybe one person might've died from my shooting if they were unlucky and fell down in a way that snapped their neck, but eleven? I'm pretty sure I would've known if that many dudes and dudettes died.

Unless it didn't happen near me. Hazel was fighting people, and Tyrian was surrounded by dead bodies near the end there.

"Look, Winter –"

"DIE!"

Ruby leaned just out of range as the saber nearly cut open her chest.

"Look, Specialist Schnee, I didn't kill those people. My companions did."

"You led the operation! You're the commander!"

"I'm fifte–"

Ruby had been about to use her age as a shield, because in her own head, it made so much more sense for the blame to fall on the mass murderer and the wanted anarchist than on the underage child, but Winter was right. She had been the one in charge of the operation, and so the fault was hers for any who were harmed during it.

Ruby blocked the sabers with Crescent Rose and quickly jolted some electricity through the three metal weapons. Winter's fingertips released the blades as they sparked, prompting the huntress to yelp in pain. Ruby kicked both blades away.

"I didn't kill them, but you're right. Their blood is on my hands."

"You admit it, then."

"I literally just said –" Ruby bit her tongue. "Look. There's more going on here than you understand. Your best option is to just let me go, and –"

Something slammed into Ruby from behind, and she was sent tumbling forward into the Specialist. Evidently, the entire maneuver had been planned in advance, because she had drawn some secondary weapon and thrust it into Ruby's stomach. It didn't pierce her aura, but the sensitive part of her body that had just been stabbed through by Lìxià's water tentacle was hit, and FUCK DID IT HURT!

Ruby screamed and thrashed, and Winter grinned victoriously.

Slamming her fists into the woman, Ruby pushed off. She wasn't trying to inflict any damage, but it gave her enough balance to make another attempt at flight.

Another failed attempt.

Winter's second weapon, which Ruby now could make out as a blunt police-baton-looking rod, snapped against her arm, and Ruby could do nothing to block it.

If I do die, I need to make sure not to think of her, or she'll get the powers. I should think of Cinder instead.

Wait.

No, I should do the opposite. This woman is a good guy, and Cinder's evil. I'm on her side, not the evil people's.

With that thought in her head, Ruby used her semblance to rapidly back off, but when she turned and ran, there was a large white shape in her way. It looked like a Grimm, specifically a North Mistrilian Gryphon variety, but it was as pale as a ghost and half transparent.

"You can make Grimm? That's so unfair!"

Ruby slammed Crescent Rose into the ground and kicked upwards into the air like a pole vaulter. At the apex of her flight, she twirled her entire body and landed a devastating kick to the back of the Grimm, snapping its spine.

…except it had no spine. Ruby had been expecting to hit something hard, and when her foot broke right through the body of the best, there was nothing to stop her momentum. She twirled around three times in an ungainly spin before landing on the ground.

Something glinted in the corner of her eyes, and Ruby had just enough wherewithal to roll out of the way as the saber came down. Its twin blade came next, and Ruby kept rolling, using the incline of the mountain to increase her speed.

As she rolled, she saw white and realized that Winter had created another ghost Grimm, this time an Alpha Beowolf. If she kept rolling downhill, she would wind up right in its awaiting jaws. Between the swords and the Grimm, she was pinned.

She's a real huntress, and I'm just a kid. It would be a miracle if I could – wait!

Recalling that she still had some tricks up her sleeve, Ruby flicked a fireball into the fake Beowolf's face. It wasn't so destructive as to cause it to dissipate away, but it repelled the creature long enough for Ruby to avoid being bitten and slam into its legs instead.

The second she was no longer moving, Ruby threw herself up and fixed her eyes on Winter. She was now cutting her sword through the air, creating a new white circle that had pointy shards of ice sticking out. Ruby saw the attack coming, but the Beowolf behind her grabbed her in a bear hug before she could dodge it.

No! I can't lose!

The ice shot out, and Ruby opened her mouth to spit out a small flame in hopes that it would melt it. Sadly, that wasn't how it worked, and the ice passed right through the fire in the extremely short period of time it was in contact. Ruby's aura took another hit.

I'm still in the yellow because I'm a maiden, but I won't last for long. I need to either run or fight.

The first of those two options sounded better. Ruby drove an elbow into the snout of the Beowolf that was holding her, causing it to release its grip. As it did, Ruby dropped down and zoomed with her semblance –

Straight into a white circle! Her nose nearly broke from the impact, and she felt herself drop into the red. Seriously, was this woman's semblance just the power to do whatever she wanted?

She wasn't going to let Ruby leave. Winter Schnee was trying to kill Ruby, and she was serious about it.

I'm going to have to get serious about it as well.

Winter advanced on Ruby, swords drawn. This was an Atlesian specialist, not a hermit who lived atop a mountain, so Ruby figured she would be a more experienced duelist. Thus, she did the last thing a duelist would expect.

The saber's came down upon Ruby, who blocked them with her bare arms. The aura around her wrists took the hit, but the unexpected move gave Winter pause.

Ruby might've appeared unarmed, but she wasn't. Summoning as much magic as she could without hurting herself, and then summoning even more, she launched drew up as much ambient water as she could, heated it into steam, and blasted it right into Winter's face. It wasn't a single hit, like the fireball, though; this was a continuous stream of boiling-hot moisture, and Winter was unable to protect herself as it seared her skin.

When the magic ran out, Ruby shoved her arms forward, knocked Winter back, and looked about the landscape for Crescent Rose. Her baby had wound up behind her and to the left, just a few feet away. Ruby hoped that the steam had blinded her enemy enough and briefly turned her back to the woman in order to reverse and reclaim her weapon.

It had, but that didn't mean Ruby made the right call. Even with her eyes closed, Winter had the skill of a huntress and the instinct of a Specialist. Just as Ruby was about to grab hold of Crescent Rose, and white barrier appeared in front of her, blocking her hand.

More magic, more pain. This was her first time using powers with which she had no practical experience, and Ruby was drawing energy from parts of her body that weren't meant to be drained away. She was simultaneously both rewarded with power and punished physically. A stiff wind blew against Winter's legs and shot several rocks and stones against her legs. The huntress had her feet knocked out from under her and nearly spun in a full circle with her waist as the axis when she fell.

It was enough to break her concentration on the circle, and Ruby grabbed her hands around Crescent Rose. Flipping up the scythe into a combat stance Ruby turned around and swung. Her first hit clocked Winter right in the head, but her second was blocked.

And her third.

And her next two, one directly after the other.

And her next.

And her next.

Crap! She's a much better swordswoman than I am a scytheswoman!

Winter's eyes were red with veins, having been scorched by Ruby's steam, and it only served to accentuate the anger on her face. She was twirling her swords like there was no tomorrow, doing movements that Ruby could only dream of.

"It's over, Riley! You're going to die!"

I just got the maiden powers! I can't lose them!

And yet…

There was a hint of…there were hints of…

Uncle Qrow's style? Had she sparred against him? If so, every fourth or so attack was something similar to what Ruby had encountered when she was younger and still being trained by her uncle.

A familiar uppercut slipped towards her, and Ruby's instincts took over. There was no time to think, but Ruby had one move in her back pocket that she could do so naturally that she didn't even need to think to use. Cinder's ace-in-the-hole trick, a three-move combo that Ruby had practiced for hours on end back in her first few weeks with Salem. It was a part of Ruby, an inherent part of her that her body could do without her mind having to waste time to comprehend. Ruby let her muscles take over.

Hit number one, to disarm – Ruby managed to block the saber as it was coming up with enough force that it flew right out of Winter's hand. Her other sword was too far away, having been pulled back to counterbalance the uppercut strike.

Hit number two, to break the aura – Ruby smacked the blunted end into Winter's chest with all her might and was rewarded with plain white aura flickering away. Seriously, everything about this woman was white – her pale skin, her hair, her circle semblance, her ghost Grimm, most of her uniform.

The other sword that Winter still held came around from the side, but Ruby kept going with the final swing.

And…

Hit number three! Ruby actually managed to land it!

It was impossible not to let out some sound of victory that came out as a mixture of a grunt and a cheer. She did the combo move and beat a real huntress and won the fight! Oh, Ruby was going to have to bake Cinder so many thank you cookies for having taught her that move. The euphoric feeling of victory was hers, and nothing could take it away. Ruby had won!

It was in that moment of victory that Winter toppled forward, literally landing on Ruby and sliding her torso across Ruby's as she collapsed, and Ruby suddenly remembered that she'd just stabbed her entire scythe through Winter's chest.

"Whuh – no, no, no!" Ruby ripped off her hood and pressed it against the wound, desperate to stop the blood as it flowed out. The euphoria of victory was sapped away instantly, sucked away as though Winter had seized it from Ruby's body through osmosis. "No, please, you can't die!"

"Y-Y…ki…ele…ve…kill…elev …el…"

"No, I didn't mean to!" Ruby's voice broke as she whimpered. "I'm sorry!"

Red had always been Ruby's favorite color, but the sheer volume of blood was enough to make it appear disgusting in her eyes. It was as though all of the sanguinary liquid in Winter's body was escaping at once in a massive exodus of blood.

I-I hit her near her heart. It might actually be all of her blood.

"Oh gods, oh Dust, please stop bleeding!"

Her limited knowledge of first aid wasn't going to be enough here. Ruby basically knew to apply pressure to the wound, and this kind of thing needed a surgeon. Honestly, a team of the world's best surgeons might not have been enough to fix this kind of damage.

Ruby closed her mouth in despair as Winter got paler and paler.

Her lips moved. "…blu…is…fl…"

Blinking a few times, Ruby brushed away her tears. "What was that? W-What is it? Blood flow? Did you say blood flow? Do you know how to fix this?" It was a long shot, but Ruby was willing to take any lifeline right about now. "Can you walk me through healing you? I'll do whatever you need, just tell me what to do."

"…gr…let…ma…"

Ruby's well of hope dried up and caved in on itself. If Winter had the answers of triage, miracles, and medicine buried within, she wasn't able to say them, limited to monosyllabic speech as she was.

But if Winter was still conscious and lucid enough to speak, there might still be time to…

"I-I'm not working for them," Ruby said.

Winter had no response. Her eyes weakly flicked upwards to meet Ruby's, unsure.

"I'm not working for Salem…f-for the bad guys. I'm a double agent."

Ruby swallowed, probably taking some of Winter's blood with her own spit, but her squeamishness was gone, replaced by gut-wrenching terror and guilt. Winter knowing was more important, the most important thing at all right now.

"I'm not evil. I'm trying to undermine them from within and steal what they're really after."

Again, Winter said nothing.

"You didn't die for nothing. You didn't die for nothing, I swear, I promise with all my heart."

She had no idea if this was of any comfort to Winter, but it was what Ruby imagined she herself would want to hear if their roles were reversed.

"We're gonna save the world, and it's all gonna be better then."

The corpse in her arms was already lifeless. Ruby had no idea at what point Winter had died or how much of the final message she'd heard.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Familiar

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #450 – Help me.

Ruby's Tip #451 – Please.

Chapter Text

Winter's corpse was still warm and wet with sticky blood as Ruby cradled it in her arms, weeping back and forth. She hadn't meant to hurt her. She hadn't.

"I'm so suaaarry!" she bawled, struggling to not choke on snot as she fell to pieces. "I diiiidn't mhhhean to!"

Her breathing became short and rugged, and Ruby started to feel like she was about to pass out.

She was in that sorry state when a small black shape landed on the ground just in front of her and Winter. It was a carrion bird, with wings darker than oil and two beady red eyes. Squawking softly, it hopped forward twice and tilted its head in a series of short, jerky movements.

"Hey there, pipsqueak," said the bird. "You ain't lookin' so good, hun. What's got ya down?"

Ruby let out a gurgling groan. "I didn't mean to kill her, I swear."

"You didn't mean to kill me either, but here we are," said the crow, pecking its beak against Winter's finger as though to probe her for signs of life. "These things happen."

"But it's still wrong," Ruby said.

"Right, wrong, who knows what those really mean? But what I can say for certain is that you killed me in cold blood, Ozpin because he asked you to, and the Atlas lady in self-defense. If you ask me, you're going in the right direction."

"Thanks, Uncle Qrow," Ruby said, brushing a tear away. "You always know just the thing to cheer me up. Say, um…did you know this woman? She sort of fought like you. A lot."

"Know her?" Qrow squawked like a madbird. "Kiddo, there's no way I could tell you if I knew her. You don't know."

That sounded about right. Ruby reached over with her hand in Qrow's direction, but he fluttered away in a brief flurry of hopping and flapping to just beyond her reach.

"Kid, I know you're mournin' yer victim and all, but Hazel and Tyrian are comin' up that hill. I saw 'em on my way over to you. If they find you out of sorts like this, you might be in for a world of trouble."

"They know I'm not a cold-blooded killer," Ruby countered. "My entry test was to kill Tyrian, and I was meant to fail."

"But you are a cold-blooded killer," said Qrow.

Ruby and he looked down at the lifeless corpse between them, frowns on the both of them. Bird facial expressions were impossible to read emotions from, but Ruby knew that Qrow's beak was curling unhappily downwards. She could see it.

"There's a woman at the top of the hill who used to work for Ozpin in their eyes," Qrow said, moving on. "And you gotta tell 'em that you offed her if you don't want them to pay her a visit."

Ruby nodded and put down Winter. The blood all over her body would help convince them that the maiden was dead if she told them it was hers. That was just like Qrow, to offer her some solid advice just when she needed it. Yeah, things were really starting to look up.

Ruby broke down crying again before she made it five steps.

"The maiden?" Hazel asked with a stoic expression.

Ruby answered his question by pointing her hand at a nearby rock.

Hazel's eyes darted left, then back to Ruby. "And that mea–"

The rock exploded.

"Sorry," Ruby said. "I was expecting that to be a lot smoother, but it takes a second to build up enough power in my body to really do something." She looked down at the hound, which was between Hazel and Tyrian. "Uh…did it…"

Tyrian nodded. "इसने बांह खा ली."

Oh, that was so gross. It always disturbed Ruby that the Grimm's innate instincts were to consume human flesh, but to think that a living woman's body part was no inside this one's stomach…so gross.

"We need to press on," said Hazel, pushing past Ruby in the direction of the summit. "I assume the maiden had some food and water with her like you expected."

Crap. I forgot that I promised them supplies at the top. And I'm not yet ready to fly us down.

Qrow, who had been circling overhead like a Vacuoan buzzard up to this point, descended from the skies and landed smack dab on Hazel's head. Nestling his bird butt in like the man's hair was his own private nest, he rested his weary wings and cawed.

"Just tell them it was all destroyed in the fight."

"Oh, yeah, i-it kind got burned in the fight," Ruby said. "The food, that is."

It was partially true; some of the rows of crops had been set ablaze by Lìxià's rampant use of fire magic during their altercation. Not all of it, but it wasn't like Hazel and Tyrian needed to know that.

"And was her water burned up as well?" Hazel asked, his eyebrow raising.

"No," said Qrow. "But a maiden can control and collect ambient moisture. You think you got enough juice for that?"

Ruby held out Winter's crushed canteen and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Focusing on the world around her, she did her best to single out the water molecules in the air.

They were all around her. She could feel their presence, just buzzing in the air like trillions upon trillions of little bees. Commanding each and every particle to coalesce into droplets would be far too difficult to do (there were too many to count, let alone control), but if Ruby could change the environment enough so that they came together on their own, it just might work.

Temperature and pressure – that would be the key. She needed to turn water vapor into liquid water, which required cooling down the air in which it floated, and she needed to get it to move into her canteen, which required a strong vacuum.

Air and fire. Ruby clenched her fist.

When she unclenched and opened her eyes, the canteen in her hands was full.

"Nice work, kiddo," said Qrow.

"Thanks," Ruby replied. She held out the canteen. "Yo, Hazel. Got something for you. Saves us a trip to the top of the mountain."

He accepted the vessel cautiously, clearly perturbed by the fact that it was coated on all sides in the blood of the innocent.

"Drink it," Ruby said to him.

He hesitated.

"It's radical," Ruby assured him.

Putting it to his lips, he took a brief sip, then nodded in approval. "Well done. I don't suppose you can summon some food?"

Ruby shook her head. After taking his fill, Hazel offered the canteen to Tyrian, who guzzled it down with abandon.

"मान लीजिए कि यह घर की भूख भरी यात्रा होगी," said Tyrian when he finished. The Faunus patted his stomach sadly while simultaneously rubbing his head. "काश देवी की सबसे अच्छी दोस्त इतनी दयालु होती कि वह हममें से बाकी लोगों के लिए कुछ कन्या का हाथ छोड़ देती। मैं, एक के लिए, भूख से मर रहा हूँ."

The pain of having her Scarab dig its way through her arm was unlike anything Ruby had ever experienced before. She'd seen it happen to Cinder twice and knew that it must've been living torture, but feeling Grubbie run up and down the length of her side was an entirely different experience.

"My queen…ghhhhhaaaagh…why?"

Salem, her hand outstretched and pointed at wherever Grubbie was next to go, didn't answer immediately. For another few seconds, she just pointed while Ruby bit down on her tongue so hard it nearly bled to avoid screaming.

Ruby couldn't recall having done anything wrong during the mission. She'd gotten the maiden powers just like Salem had requested, and as far as any of the minions knew, Lìxià was dead as a doornail. If anything, Salem should be rewarding her for a job well done.

The moment passed, and Ruby fell to the floor as Salem's arm landed by her side.

"Forgive my lack of a response, Rose. It takes great concentration to manipulate the Scarab without inflicting any damage upon your muscular or nervous system. Now, what was it you were asking?"

"WHY?" begged Ruby.

"Ah, of course." Salem stepped forward and crouched down so that she loomed over Ruby. "You see, the magic that empowers you is similar to my own. It derives from the same original source – the gods of Remnant. My lover, Ozma, and I were among the many billions of original humans who possessed it, but the Gods betrayed us. Now, our lingering power is all that remains of their essence."

"B-But why me?" Ruby whispered piteously.

"She's afraid of you," Qrow snarked from the windowsill.

"Because you need to know your place. You see, I've often found that my minions seem to gather a certain set of misconceptions when they acquire the power I enable them to possess. Maidens, especially – I have no doubt that Cinder would have made the same mistakes I seek to deter you from making.

"Your magic might be the same as mine, but I possess it in far greater quantities, and I command the Grimm due to my exposure to the pools of darkness."

Salem stood up to her full height. She couldn't have been more than five and a half feet, but to Ruby on the floor, she looked like she rose above the clouds as a giant. The blackened veins that ran along her skin grew more pronounced, and her eyes lost their red color entirely as Salem's Grimm-like aspects intensified.

"Do not forget, Ruby: you serve me. You may be strong, but I am always stronger."

After that pain-filled ordeal, Ruby was given a period to rest and then sent along to a new room in the castle that she'd never seen before with orders to practice controlling her new maiden powers.

It was similar to the training rooms she'd practiced with Cinder in back when she'd first arrived, but this one was a big circle and much larger. There were no windows or external lights, with a mass of glowing crystals at the center.

As Ruby entered the room, she noticed that there were at least ten entrances, each of a different size but all equally spaced along the end of the room. There were also individual Seers at the entrances.

Ruby hadn't received much instruction for just how she was supposed to be learning to flex her maiden muscles with more finesse, so she walked up to one of the Seers. The little jellyfish like being rotated through the air but didn't move in any direction.

"It's weird, isn't it?" asked Qrow, from wherever he was. Ruby's back was turned to him. "You and the Grimm are just chummy chums now."

"Buzz off, Qrow," Ruby said. Then, to the Seer, "Excuse me. What are you –"

Faint growls from beyond the dark hallway that the entrance opened up into answered her question.

It's Grimm, Ruby thought. For target practice.

"Um, could you…"

Ruby paused. Looking up at the ten doorways, she realized she was in front of what was probably the third biggest one. She took a step back as the Seer continued to twist on its axis.

"Good call," said Qrow. He flapped down and perched his bird legs on the Seer's sloped head, slipping a little bit before catching himself. "Start small. Nothing to be gained by dying at the hands of some Leviathan when you don't even know what you're doing yet."

The smallest one was about the size of a regular human doorway. Ruby began walking that way. It probably had something simpler, like a pack of small Beowolf or something similar a behind it.

"Bawk! Bak-bak-baaaawk!"

Ruby snapped around, glaring. Qrow was there, scratching his toes against the Seer and whistling through his beak like a songbird. "What?"

"Something you wanna say?" Ruby said.

"I just squawked. I'm a bird."

"No, you made chicken noises. Are you trying to tell me something?"

Qrow shook his head. "I think you might be projecting a bit, kiddo. Just go on with your baby Beowolves. The sooner you start small, the sooner you go home. And I mean your real home."

"Oh, don't think I don't see what you're doing," said Ruby. "I'm not that easy to manipulate."

"Oh, whatever happened to 'you always give me such good advice, dearest uncle?' Kids these days – they love you, then they're off getting tattoos, dyeing their hair, and telling off the nearest authority figure."

"The nearest ghost," Ruby clapped back, only to regret it instantly. She turned around to apologize, but Qrow was already gone.

I don't have to listen to him. Just because I killed him doesn't mean I owe him anything. He's not even real, he's just a guilty figment of my mind because I didn't get enough sleep on Mount Serathusa.

"Bawk! Bawk!"

"Seer," Ruby said, straightening her back authoritatively. "Please send one of whatever is at the end of this tunnel my way."

It swished back and forth, and the chuffing that Ruby could just barely make out started to grow louder. Ruby stepped away, drawing her scythe to be at the ready just in case. The point of this exercise was to use the maiden powers, but in the event that it didn't work on the first try, she would rather have Crescent deployed to cut down whatever came through just in case.

The Grimm came into view. Its eyes were the first thing Ruby saw, glowing a rare red in the darkness. They were surprisingly low to the ground, barely two feet above the floor. Ruby watched them observe her from the darkness for a few seconds. Whatever this Grimm was, it wasn't a brute.

"Bawk! Baw-gaaawk!"

It hides in the darkness and stalks humans; an ambush predator, if I had to guess. I can't say I'm familiar, but the Grimmlands are home to a lot of new species that people just don't encounter on the continents. I might be the first person to ever see this.

When Ruby didn't take her eyes off of the Grimm, it decided that there was no option but a frontal assault. Prowling into view came a catlike creature. It had huge, floofy paws that made no noise when they patted down onto the ground as it walked. Both of its enormous ears had small tufts of white fur sticking out the top, and the white fur fell down the sides of its face like sideburns until they coalesced into a long beard that fell just short of dragging along the floor.

"And what might you be, mister?"

The Grimm hissed sharply, then sprang at Ruby. It never hit her, though, as a wall of wind blew it with enough force to push it back to inches in front of where it started.

These maiden powers aren't difficult. I can access them easily, it's just gathering enough energy to do more than a gust of wind or a tiny spark of flames that troubles me. Lìxià was able to whip up a sandstorm and keep it going for minutes on end, so that means the power is within me somewhere.

Well, if the point of this –

"Bok! Bok!" Laughter rang out. "Bok-bok-bok!"

Ruby grit her teeth. "Grrrrrrr…"

…if the point of this was to get better, Ruby needed to a way to either congregate more power quickly or to spend what she had more efficiently.

Ruby flexed her fingers and tried to summon the smallest smidgeon of power she could, just to get an idea of what the baseline unit was. Magic might be magic, but she could be scientific about it if she tried.

A single spark, much like what would come off a piece of flint when struck with a stone, bounced through the air in the direction of the cat Grimm. Both it and Ruby watched the tiny light sail through the sky and flicker away before it ever made it to its target.

The cat pounced again, and Ruby was forced to bat it away with her scythe.

It's really not all that smart, if its only attack is to leap out at me. No wonder this is the Level One Grimm behind the first smallest door.

Okay. Ruby held out both palms and tried to see if a bunch of tiny, consecutive sparks would do more damage, or if a stream of steadier fire was better. The second one sounded like it be more destructive, but Ruby could remember a videogame where the heroine had a jetpack with limited fuel. She could fly through the air until she ran out, but there was a bug where if you tapped the space bar in rapid succession, you could actually get more bang for your buck than if you held it steady.

Sucks that they patched that out. But maybe the maiden power has glitches that can be exploited too. If the way forward is just practice, practice, practice, I can do that, but there's nothing wrong with seeing if there're any shortcuts first.

Ruby ignored the mirthful cawing behind her and got to work.

Progress was slow, but it was still progress.

But it was also really, really, really slow.

By the time her alarm for dinner went off, Ruby had worked her way up to the third door, where Creeps were held. She'd figured out that magic a) had no glitches to manipulate, b) had no cheat codes or spells as she liked to call them, and d) did, in fact, get easier to use the more she practiced.

The problem with that last part was that Ruby estimated that she'd gone up by about 10 to 20% by the end of the day, and she'd started at just barely being able to do the most basic attacks.

I guess I really am just gonna have to grind levels for days. Damn it, this is gonna be a problem. I won't be able to just waltz in and kill Raven, who's been working out for years, maybe even decades.

"That's just how it can be, kiddo," said Qrow, who was now behaving himself and perched on her shoulder. "You don't always get an easy way out. I know you're practically vibrating with the need to see Yang again, but exuberance doesn't change the world to meet your whims.

"I know," Ruby griped, kicking her heels as she returned back to her room. "I just…I was so close, ya know."

"Yeah, I getcha. You wanted to put this all behind you and move on," Qrow said.

Ruby nodded.

Qrow leaned his beak right up against Ruby's ear. "But you can't. You killed me and you killed Winter and you never get to put this behind you."

The brusque tone and harsh words made her recoil. "Jeez, Uncle Q–"

Ruby looked his way, but he was already gone.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Tenth Tunnel

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #251 – If your soup is too cold, microwave the metal spoon. If you get it hot enough, it'll warm up every bite.

Ruby's Note – As an alternative, shake a handwarmer, then cut it open and pour out the contents into the soup so they heat it.

Ruby's Tip #66 – There are actually Eleven Commandments. They wrote the last one on the back.

Chapter Text

Ruby was on the fifth tunnel out of ten. She had no idea why pacing herself like she did mattered so much to her, but from the way the room was designed and Salem's nebulous orders to 'improve' her maiden powers, she imagined that there was probably some great challenging Grimm behind that tunnel to conquer. However, given that it was the biggest of the ten and could probably allow something large like a Giant Nevermore of King Taijitu through, she wanted to work her way up to it by conquering all of the little Grimm first.

Behind fabulous Door #5 was…drumroll, please…a Beowolf! An alpha, at that. How well thought out!

Serious, what was Salem's plan with sending me here? Did she just build a Grimm dispenser and think that would be enough to sharpen my claws against?

Well, Salem was a magic wielder from early humanity's ancient prehistory, so she probably knew this stuff better than Ruby. Maybe it was just a creative way to work out her magical muscles with no deeper meaning.

Or maybe there's a vampire inside the last room! There's really no way to know.

Other than to clear all ten levels before it and find out, that was.

To that end, Ruby had been practicing on bettering her magic for weeks, at this point. There were infinite Grimm since they spawned from the pools of grape juice just outside the castle, so the only limiting factor on her growth was how much time she invested.

At this point, if she went as far as possible without overstressing and therefore hurting her body, she could now send out a stream of uninterrupted fire for ten continuous seconds, fly, freeze a volume of up to 18 gallons of water instantly, and manipulate the pressure of the air to make a shield around her entire body.

Oops. Did she say 'and'? The right word for that scenario was 'or.'

Unfortunately, bettering herself was a slow process, and Ruby was forced to concede that she might not be able to grind continuously until she perfected herself. Salem's patience was not infinite, and Watts had been dropping little clues about Ruby going back into the field for the past few days.

While Ruby certainly could continue to practice her powers when out in the real world imposing Salem's will, she really wanted to figure out what was hidden at the end of the final tunnel. She could just skip ahead and ask the Seer to let out one of the Grimm from it, but that felt like cheating. Where was the buildup? Where was the tensions?

I have to finish the last five tunnels, and I have to finish them soon.

Door number six had an Ursa behind it (a freakin' minor), and Ruby felt a little underwhelmed.

I saw those at home all the time! Why would it be…how could it be…just why?

She forced herself to sigh. Salem knew what she was doing. This was all part of Ruby's training. There was a process to these sorts of things.

"You know that's not true," said Qrow. "There's no process."

You didn't start with a three-course dinner. You did your jumping jacks first.

"Replace one of those things with marathon or appetizers," said Qrow in an exasperated tone. "Please."

Ruby blocked the Ursa's paw with a shield of compressed air and cut it down with her scythe. She had found, over the course of the past five doors, that manipulating the air tended to be the cheapest way to use magic, since air was fairly light as elements went (when compared to water or rocks) and it didn't require creating any power like fire or electricity.

It didn't seem all that destructive, but it was amazing how much control she could get of her environment over an enemy by setting up a simple backwind to blow against them. Air ripples from targeted pockets of vacuums could knock someone back quite a ways, and air shields from compression were almost impenetrable.

Ruby let out a sigh. As much as she wanted to continue, she was bushed.

It sucked, but every day when she came back after clearing out each and every tunnel, they were all replenished. Again, Ruby had the choice to pick up where she left off, but it felt like she was meant to learn something from this. If she cheated her way through by using save points, she would only be robbing herself of the intended lesson from Salem.

"Ruby, don't be daft," pleaded Qrow. "You know there isn't some intended lesson. Just finish this and go to number 10 already."

Sighing angrily, she ignored her stupid bird-familiar-uncle and turned back to the room's main entrance.

Tomorrow, she decided. Tomorrow, she would go all the way or die trying.

The seventh tunnel rewarded her with a brand new Grimm, and quite a cool one at that.

It wasn't based on any animal that she could recognize, and it didn't even seem to be based on biological life. Ruby wasn't really sure how to describe it.

The Grimm was split up into four different pieces that weren't attached physically but were very clearly all part of the same beast, because they moved in perfect coordination. If she had to describe it like a creature, it seemed to be four legs that had no joints all connected to a nonexistent body. They weren't even moving at the same time or anything; it was just that, when one of them stopped moving towards Ruby, the next one in a counterclockwise pattern would start moving towards her. Three remained stationary at any time, and they always moved in perfectly straight lines for the same amount of time before stopping.

Calling them legs wasn't right either. They were more like pillars. The Grimm bone part was at the base and was a wide platform, sort of shaped like a ten-pointed star. It hovered in the air, maybe just barely a half inch from the ground. It fed upwards like a pyramid, getting thinner until it reached the black portion, which was just an extra long cylinder that pointed perfectly straight and nearly scratched the ceiling.

The pillars were faster than most of the Grimm that Ruby had encountered, but they didn't really seem to have any method of imparting damage other than just slamming themselves into Ruby. It was like she was fighting four loosely coordinated roomba vacuum cleaners wearing the weirdest top hats of all time.

Oh, and they seemed to be getting faster. Wonderful.

Now this is the kind of training I can get behind. A new Grimm, and a challenging one at that? I'm gonna have to really push myself.

"Remember, there's a lesson to be learned here, or Salem wouldn't have had it here," Qrow pointed out. He sounded a lot more pleasant now that Ruby's spirits were up.

Despite having cleared tunnels one through six just moments before, Ruby was at a decent enough aura to continue, and she had magic aplenty after having learned the best and most efficient ways to take down the early level monsters.

At the moment, Ruby was fast enough to dodge the pillars as they floated towards her, one by one. That gave her a moment to think about it logically.

She tested one of the stationary ones with a small flick of dense air. The pillar didn't seem to be damaged by it at all and moved like expected when its turn came around.

Ruby waited for it to pass by her and for another pillar to start moving, and then she did the same weak probe against the projectile. It, too, seemed unaffected.

So, they're defensive enough to tank hits, and it's not a shield that goes up or down when they're moving. Could the feet-parts be a weak spot?

Ruby kicked the ground and set out an air wave that went out in all directions.

That got the pillars' attention. All four of them wobbled, and the one that was in motion briefly stalled. However, when it restarted after a one second pause, it was coming after Ruby a lot faster. She raised Crescent Rose and stuck it forward to repel the attack, but to Ruby's amazement, she found herself being pushed back by the Grimm appendage.

I certainly got its attention, but this thing has some serious armor.

It didn't matter, though. Now that she knew its weak spot was the bony plates at the bottom, she could just kill them at her leisure. Ruby shot a medium-sized fireball down at the next pillar as it tried to attack her, destroying it with an explosion of smoke.

And then the pillar waved through the smoke and smacked into her.

What? How could it survive?! I landed a hit directly on the bottom!

The next pillar was already upon her before she could even think on that problem, forcing Ruby to back up. The pieces of Grimm were now moving even more rapidly; not too fast for Ruby the speed demon, mind you, but fast enough that they were becoming a tiresome nuisance to avoid.

Every attack was making it go faster, meaning that she needed to figure this out quickly.

Remember, there's a lesson here. What haven't I learned to do with magic yet that this thing could teach me?

This thing…the four legs were all separate entities but moving in synchronicity. If there was some central mechanism connecting them, then Ruby would need to find it somehow. She could imagine Salem putting her up against this Grimm in order to force her to figure out how to use magic to locate a hidden enemy.

There was no way to 'sense' something, not in a mystical sense that one might think, but Ruby didn't need to sense it like that. If she pushed out with magic in all directions, she would be able to see what pushed back or blocked her probing and determine the location of the secret hive mind using that.

Ruby heated up the water vapor in the air around her and let it form a thick fog.

All I need to do is see where there's a blank space, and that's my guy.

The only problem was that there was no way for her to blanket the entire room in fog. If she tried, she'd falter and run out of energy.

Maybe the lesson is simpler than that. I don't need to cover the entire room; if I make a small, sustainable bubble of fog and just circle around all over the place, I'll be able to scan the room like a metal detector, bit by bit. The trick isn't to stretch out my power thinly over a wide space, but to think of smarter ways to apply it.

The Grimm was now moving only a little bit slower than Ruby was, so she had to make haste. The bubble of fog expanded out in all directions until it reached about ten feet away from Ruby. That was the kind of distance she could keep up without draining herself of stamina faster than she recovered it.

She and the Grimm danced around the giant room for several minutes. Ruby made sure to plan her path so that she could both avoid the battering rams and also cover as much ground as efficiently as possible. She checked the center of the room first, then back towards the entrance tunnel. When nothing was there, she moved past each tunnel individually, ending at the seventh tunnel from which this bizarre creature had originated.

And none of them had anything.

Okay. So, this was getting kind of tricky. If the controller could move, there would be no way to locate it short of scanning the entire room, but that was beyond the scope of her abilities right now, so she ignored it. Maybe it was, but fixating on the impossible was pointless when other options were yet to be tried. The pillars were now keeping pace with her, meaning that attacking it would soon be out of the question, and avoiding getting hit would be next.

I scored a solid hit on it before when I went for the base, but then that didn't work the second time. What changed?

Maybe it was immune to fire? She had changed the type of attack.

Ruby's hand shot out, and she blasted a stationary Grimm pillar with a concussive burst of air. It was the same thing she'd used to attack it the first time that had worked, just stronger.

Nothing.

"Bravo. You just made it a whole lot madder 'n' faster," Qrow pointed out, perched on the crystals at the center of the room and watching the whole thing play out with a smirk.

Ruby somersaulted to avoid being run over. "Not helping!"

"Hey, I only know what you know." His wings raised in what Ruby assumed was the bird equivalent of a shrug. "Don't blame the hallucination."

The pillars were now hitting her just as frequently as they missed, meaning that she was on a timer until her aura ran out. They were like brick walls that slammed into her with the force of a rhinoceros, and such a violent and persistent distraction made thinking out a strategy on how to beat them rather difficult.

It had to be about the feet. She'd made them stop when she'd hit them all together, and that was the only successful instance of –

Wait.

It can't be that easy, can it?

Ruby waved her hand through the air horizontally, and four jets of condensed air sliced towards the four Grimm pillars. It cost her nearly all of her remaining magic, but it struck the quartet at the same time.

All four of them stopped moving for just a second. The closest one shook a tiny bit, and the one to Ruby's left actually cracked a tad.

And then it started moving faster than Ruby.

Impacts rained down upon her, and she wasn't given a moment's rest to think as each pillar drove its entire body into her. Ruby tried to hit back, but Crescent got knocked out her hands, and her tiny fists weren't enough to do anything.

"Huh."

Magic!

Ruby's aura broke from the next impact, and the pillar after that zoomed towards her.

"If you kick the bucket here…"

I have to use magic!

Despite lacking aura, her semblance, her scythe, or nearly enough magic, Ruby thrust both hands out with as much force as she could.

She had no idea where she dredged up the power from, but her attack landed. Chunks of rock burst out of the ground in accordance with Ruby's will and sailed into the Grimm pillars with the force of a tidal wave. The one that had been about to smack her down was shredded apart instantly, and the three others behind it all cracked apart under the relentless barrage of rubble until they were no more.

Ruby had no idea how she'd accomplished this feat of magic, but she knew that she had to milk it for all it was worth. Latching onto that feeling of desperation that had been inside of her head, she continued to tear apart the floor and ravage the room. Using this much magic had previously been beyond her, and if she could master tapping into this vein of power, it would be a huge jump upwards in mastering the maiden powers.

Only when her arms were physically too tired to hold up did she stop. There was a crater around Ruby from the bits of floor she'd psychically torn apart and thrown.

T-That was…

Ruby couldn't finish the thought. Exhaustion claimed her, and she passed out right there.

When she awoke and gathered enough wherewithal to remember just what had happened, her body felt like it was made of jelly.

So I can go crazy when I'm in danger, but it takes a lot out of me, then. That'll be good for emergencies, I guess.

Ruby heard her stomach growl. Checking her scroll quickly, she saw that she'd been unconscious all night, and it was now mid-morning of the next day.

I really ought to get some breakfast. I'm starving.

Except…

The eighth, ninth and tenth tunnels.

If the seventh had a beast like that, Ruby was really curious to see what was behind the higher up ones.

"No one's stopping you," urged Qrow. He flew over to the entrance of the eighth tunnel, landing just beneath the Seer. "Why don't you have a peek?"

"Because that pillar leg thing nearly trounced me," Ruby said, picking herself up. "I don't wanna rely on my don't-die instincts to fight everything. I need to practice more before I go any higher." She turned towards the exit of the room. "I'm gonna go get something to eat, and maybe take a shower. I can't go any further right now."

"But if you call it here and go back, you'll need to start from scratch," said Qrow.

Ruby swiveled around to face him, still backing up towards the door. "I'll just start at eight tomorrow."

"B-But that's cheating!"

She shrugged. "Says who?"

Qrow had no retort for that.

When Ruby asked the Seer at the entrance to the eighth tunnel to send in one of its fighters, she found herself face to face with a big-ass Deathstalker.

"What the hell?" she asked to no one in particular. "How is this supposed to…"

The Deathstalker tried to skewer her with its tail, but she just swung Crescent Rose and cut the stinger right off. It landed on the ground next to her, and Ruby watched the Grimm writhe around with a chitter of pain.

She looked behind her and saw that she indeed was in front of the right tunnel, not having mixed up the eighth door with something lower. Nah, this was the right one.

Ruby snapped her fingers, and diagonal lances of ice shout out of the ground from beneath the Grimm, piercing its legs and ripping them apart. The main portion of its carapace landed with a dull thud, and Ruby chucked Crescent Rose right into its brain.

"Seriously, what the hell?"

"Lesson?" said Salem. "What lesson?"

"The lesson, the one you wanted to teach me by having me face waves of Grimm one at a time and clearing them out all in one run and –"

"Ruby, I sent you to the Grimm vending machine room machine because it's the furthest away from my throne room, and I assume you wouldn't want to see much of me after that dreadful business we had those weeks ago."

Dreadful business? Salem had tortured Ruby to the brink of breaking her arm open with her Scarab!

And also…

"G-Grimm vending machine room?"

Salem nodded. "Tyrian told me of human cultures in the modern era, and he described your peoples love of robotic vendors. I attempted to make one a few years back but couldn't figure out the details and just left it be."

"B-B-But the challenge…the Seers…"

"The Seers weren't supposed to bother you," Salem said. "I specifically gave them instructions to not interfere with your training so that you could have a quiet room to practice your maiden powers in."

So, there was no…

This whole time, it really had just been…

Heh.

Heh, it was all…

"Ha. S-Snrk."

Salem blinked. "What?"

"It sounds like you need some time alone," Qrow said. He kicked off of Ruby's shoulder and flew towards the door. "I'll see myself out."

Ruby couldn't help but start snickering. "Hahaha, oh, that's a good one!"

"Little Rose, are you alright?" Salem asked. She placed a hand against Ruby's forehead as though to check her temperature for a fever. "You're starting to cackle like Tyrian does when he murders someone, and I'd rather not have two people with that energy."

She had been so insistent on finding a deeper meaning that she'd ignored the stupid things she'd been doing until it damn nearly killed her.

"Hmmm…wonder if that's the first time you've done that," Qrow said before leaving Ruby to her laughter and Salem to her concern.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Prisoner

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #877 – Seriously, what the hell was that thing? I still don't know.

Chapter Text

Without any assignments from Salem, Ruby continued to practice expanding her maiden power in both scope and skill. She had recruited Hazel to spar with her, knowing that he was a bit sturdier than Tyrian or Watts and could probably survive a fireball to the face, so the pair of them were currently just out practicing.

Well, currently she was in a headlock, because she'd overestimated just how well she could fly, but that was surely just a temporary setback.

"I've often found that my Dust control tends to improve when I set ablaze all distractions and purify my mind from the taint of thought," he advised as she struggled to free herself from his grip. "Free yourself from your burdensome reverie, and you may experience the same state of countenance."

Ruby tried to push his meaty forearm away from her chest to no avail. "Uh, that's a bit too specific. Do you think you could do me a solid and make it more vague and confusing? Thanks."

Hazel squeezed her tighter.

Ruby tried to zap him with her fingertips, but he took the pain and ignored it using his semblance. Between the power to ignore damage and his own ability to master Dust, Hazel was almost indestructible. She'd now sparred against him and Tyrian, and she definitely knew who the most dangerous of the Evernight himbo squadron was.

Unless Watts is hiding the physique of Atlas underneath his overcoat, and his stop-sign shaped body is just a red herring.

Slapping her arms against Hazel's, she admitted defeat. It sucked to still be weaker than a normal guy when she was now an ascended, empowered being, but then again, Hazel could barely be described as a normal guy. Man was 'roided out something special.

He released her without any care, the way one might discard a mold sack of potatoes into a trash can, and she toppled to the floor on her knees. Hazel might be on her side, but he could be a real Grade-A jackass sometimes.

I need to remember that these aren't the good guys who I'm going to befriend and redeem with the power of love. They're men with no morals and no qualms about hurting innocent people whatsoever, so assuming that spending time with them will earn friendship or respect is absurd.

"Stand, child. The floor is no place for you."

Ruby followed his advice, but because she wanted to get up, not because he told her to. Grumbling under her breath, she looked around the room for Crescent Rose. Hazel had taken it off of her hands almost instantly, and he'd been very rough with her baby. Ruby imagined she'd be sanding off a few scratches this evening.

"Advice."

She looked up. "Huh?"

"You wanted advice," Hazel said. "About control."

Ruby nodded up and down vigorously.

Hazel just stared at her.

Oh, of course. He was going to ask if she wanted advice and then just say 'good' and walk off, because he technically hadn't explicitly offered to fulfill her request for advice – he'd only verified that she wanted it. Hazel was every snarky substitute teacher rolled up into one.

"To clear your mind, then. We shall begin there first."

"Wait, you're actually gonna help?" Ruby asked.

Hazel rolled his eyes. "I needed a moment to compose my thoughts before I offered them. I shall aid you. Anyways, the control of the elements, be it from Dust injection or the powers of the Summer maiden, requires immense concentration. Unlike a semblance, which is as much yours as an arm or a leg, these are external influences whose power is borrowed and thus must have a significant portion of your brainpower devoted to even accessing them."

Ruby nodded, following along. She knew that focus was important for any power, but she hadn't really thought about the specifics of how the maiden powers were used, so she hadn't done any meditative or spiritual stuff to try and use them.

"Are you saying I just need to clear my head?" she asked. "Not think about other stuff?"

"Would that it were so simple," Hazel said, smiling slightly. "No, the key is to purge your intrusive thoughts. I mentioned setting them ablaze; that was merely a metaphor for my own process. To escape my own head, I imagine all of my thoughts as a dense forest with leaves, branches, and fallen timbers abound. Then an unstoppable, immense blaze of flames clears out the detritus and liberates me from its crushing weight."

Hmmm…a controlled burn. Ruby imagined doing something similar within her own head.

"You've set your hair on fire, child."

Ruby's eyes bulged, and she frantically reached up to her scalp. She felt every inch of it and ran her hands all along her hair, but there was nothing there.

"No, it's not," she sputtered out panickily.

Hazel raised an eyebrow.

"I-It's not! You said it was, but it wasn't!"

"Have you never heard of a joke?" he asked.

If hearing that her head was on fire had startled Ruby, hearing that Hazel Rainart had consciously and knowingly made a joke of his own free will shocked the stuffing out of her. Him, Mr. McSeriousface, joking around?

"D-Did I hit you on the head during our fight or something?" she asked, looking down at her hands and wondering just how strong she was to damage his cranium.

"No," Hazel replied. He turned away from her and picked up his coat from where he'd discarded it before their match. "You…for a long period of time, I believed you would not survive in this world and kept myself distant by design. There was no need to invest my emotions in a little girl who would break or die within days. But then the days became weeks, and the weeks months, and now you, a maiden in your own right? You are clearly here to stay, Ruby Rose, and it's time I acknowledged you rather than ignored you."

Great. So, not only was Ruby wrong about earning people's respect and all that, but she was befriending the enemy. There would eventually come a time when she left and sold out Hazel and Tyrian and Cinder and everyone to Ozpin, and that would probably lead to their deaths. Ruby wasn't too beat up by that knowledge, but she didn't want to get Stockholm Syndrome by getting too close to Hazel or the others. She would be better off if she did what he had done and kept them at an arm's length.

When the two of them exited the training room, the sound of screams filled Ruby's ears.

Her first instinct was that Tyrian or Watts had done something to anger the queen and were now being put in their place, much like she had by pre-emptively being a threat to Salem's power just a few days ago, but that couldn't be. The voice of the screamer was new, someone Ruby had never heard before.

"What's that?" she asked.

Hazel himself seemed just as confused and shrugged.

"Imma go look it up," she said, tying up her hood and breaking into a jog. "I'll let you know when I find out, new best buddy."

Hazel mumbled out something that sounded like crushing, instant regret, but Ruby was already too far away to hear him. Someone new in the castle? Her interests were piqued, and her curiosity was whet.

The sound was coming from one of the rooms lower down near the base of the castle. This far down, the rooms were lit only by glowing crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, and the hallways were lined with masses of candles in tiny purple holders. As Ruby went deeper and deeper into the dark bowels of Evernight, the sound grew louder.

When she arrived at a point where there were no more stairs, she stopped in front of a door. Whoever was making all that racket was behind it, she was sure.

Ruby put her hand against the wooden frame (this was an actual wooden door made of planks and boards and nails and things, not one of the Grimm membranes that Salem used at the higher levels). Before she could knock, though, two things stopped her. First of all, she noticed that the door had a knocker, so knocking with her hands would be silly. Second of all, a Shadow Hand reached out of the floor and stayed her wrist.

"Rose," said Salem, stepping down the stairs one at a time. "I thought I might find you here."

"What's going on in there?" Ruby asked, point her thumb over her shoulder towards the door. "It sounds like someone's being tortured."

Salem nodded. "Someone is."

Oh. That's all.

You know, I wonder what I was thinking it could have been otherwise, given that we're in an evil villain's lair.

Salem turned around and began to walk up the steps, and even if she didn't say any words, Ruby recognized that as a command to follow.

"Who is it, Lady Salem?" Ruby asked. "Tyrian? It doesn't sound like him."

"Tyrian is the one doing the torturing. He just returned after successfully capturing an annoying thorn in my side, a huntsman from Mistral who's been evading Lionheart's purges. This particular huntsman was able to escape four missions that had traps waiting for his party. Tyrian was dispatched to bring him to Evernight and determine how much he knew."

"How much he knew…?"

Salem shook her head. "Four failed attempts to kill him was too much. Honestly, three was too much. If he was somehow aware that he was being led into a trap, or aware that Lionheart was a turncoat, it could spell disaster for our organization."

"But you have him," Ruby pointed out. "Why torture him? Why not just kill him?"

If it were just Tyrian, she might have chalked it down to his sick and twisted sense of amusement, but Salem was aware of it. She didn't seem like the type to bring a huntsman to her home base and leave him alive just for the fun of inflicting pain upon him. That sounded like too much of a security risk, since the longer he lived, the more risk their was of him breaking free.

"If he knew of our intentions or, worse yet, knows of me, we must determine the extent of his awareness and how many others know. All leaks must be plugged, young Ruby. There can be no knowledge of my existence among the populace."

"How come?" Ruby asked. As far as she could tell, it would be to Salem's benefit to have people panicking upon learning that the Grimm were coordinated. That would summon more of them.

"I know what you're thinking, girl. It would not work." Salem sighed as the two of them exited the winding stairway and came back up to the upper level of the castle, where the light wasn't exclusively artificial. "I've tried it before. Human kingdoms were made aware of my existence by my own hand. I thought it would be their undoing, and I was briefly proven right; the leading civilization of the era nearly fell.

"However, the chaos was routed by Ozma, and he managed to turn it into a rallying point for the six other kingdoms that remained. It was nearly my ruin. My Grimm armies were destroyed, my base of power was reduced to rubble, and even my most loyal of minions deserted their posts in fear of Ozma's impending assault. It was only because of my own immortality that I did not bring about my own demise."

"Then…"

"…why doesn't Ozma repeat his prior success? Why let me fade away into legend when I could be the common villain in the lives of all humans and Faunus?" Salem smiled. "I know not. All I can say is that I myself have no intention of making the same mistakes." She shrugged. "Perhaps you may ask him when you next encounter his host. That man's yearning for conflict is like an itch that he must scratch; I have no doubt that he shall rear his head once he returns and seek to avenge his past death at your hand."

"It's a trap," said Qrow.

Ruby pressed her face into her pillow with such force that it might've smothered her. "I know."

"Then don't fall for it."

"I wasn't planning to." Ruby rubbed her eyes. "It's just…he's down there, all alone. I could save him."

"And do what?" Qrow asked. "Fly him to safety without being noticed? Besides, Salem will just send Tyrian after him a second time. If he can capture him once, he can capture him again."

Knowing that she couldn't change anything didn't save Ruby from having to hear the intermittent screams. If the huntsman was screaming so loudly that she could hear him from the dungeons down low, that meant he was being subjected to something horrible.

"He's probably already fatally injured," said Qrow. He shook his head and nudged Ruby's cheek with his beak. "That is, if there even is a huntsman, and this isn't just Tyrian himself faking the screams. You know, like they did when you arrived."

It wasn't that. The voice was different.

"Goodwitch warned you. She warned you that you would have to do horrible things. Well, that also means that you won't be able to do good things when you want to. Try not to think about it, kiddo. Look, if it makes you feel better, I can sing a funny little song, or tell you stories like I did when you were little."

Ruby smiled. "T-Thanks, Qrow."

Qrow wasn't real, so he told the same stories she'd already heard many times before, and his voice wasn't loud enough to drown out the screaming.

After two days, Ruby's resolve was slipping.

Training was no distraction, as the sounds echoed through the castle no matter how far Ruby fled them. This guy was still screaming, which meant that he was still down there, being tortured. If he knew nothing, he would probably have admitted that, meaning that he knew something. He was protecting his comrades by not answering Salem's questions, and he hadn't broken despite facing two continuous days of agony. Spending that much time with Tyrian was torture in and of itself even when he was on your side.

"Don't do something stupid, Ruby," begged Qrow.

"I could go at night. I'd check on everyone to make sure they're sleeping, and I'd say I was up for training if I get caught."

"I died for this mission," said Qrow. "Winter died for it. Do you really want to jeopardize everything just so that you can sleep a little bit easier at night?"

That actually made a lot of sense, and Ruby's plans to mount a daring escape came apart at the seams.

She broke before the next evening.

"Please, kiddo, you cannot do this!" Qrow shouted. He was being far too loud for a sneaky mission like this one.

"If you don't wanna come along, then just go away!" Ruby hissed.

And Qrow did.

In Ruby's defense, she wasn't being stupid about this. She was going to beetlewalk first just to confirm where everyone in the castle was before she set out in her main body. It would even give her a chance to stake out the torture chamber and confirm that this wasn't just a cookie jar full of red ink like last time back in Patch.

It was upon thinking of Qrow's words that she managed to convince herself to save the guy. Yes, Winter had died in the line of fire, but she hadn't needed to. There were so many things Ruby could've done better that might've saved the specialist's life, and she had wished every day since then that she'd made a better choice that life-changing day.

Well, she now had a chance to save a life, and she wasn't going to pass it up.

Grubbie watched from his perch on the ceiling as Tyrian packed up his comedically large bag of torture instruments and exited the room. The Scarab might have stuck out in other environments, but it blended so well into the motley walls of the Grimmlands that even Tyrian missed it.

The huntsman was there, and he was being tortured. He was an old man, probably in his sixties. That alone was astounding, given how the average age at which hunters retired was forty (assuming they didn't die young). On top of that, he had endured Tyrian cutting up his arms and thinly slicing his veins with surgical precision without uttering a peep.

Well, he screamed like a goat in a viral RemnTube video, but he didn't give up any intelligence, and that was what really mattered. The man's eyes were filled with steel, and he had remained defiant in spite of Tyrian's multilingual questions.

I have to save him. If Mistral's hunter population is truly being cleaned out by Headbastard Lionheart, they're gonna need every one they can get, and the loss of a veteran like him would be an utter tragedy.

Actually, now that Ruby thought about it, Grubbie was already there. Tyrian hadn't locked the door (why would he?), and the chains that held the man couldn't be too tough to chew through. She could –

Wait. Wait, shit!

Cinder had said that Salem could check Grubbie's memories! When the huntsman 'mysteriously escaped,' she would immediately be able to tell that someone in the castle had done it, and Ruby had just recorded a video of herself scoping the mark out. No matter how this went down, if he wasn't there tomorrow, questions would be asked that Ruby couldn't answer.

Ruby turned around and crawled through the crack at the top of the doorway. She had been so sure that this was the right thing to do, that she could be clever and crafty about it if she chose to and that everything would sort itself out.

When her human eyes opened, Qrow was standing on her chest, looming over her face.

"Toldja it wasn't going to work."

"AAAAAAAH! AAH, AAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH"

"I'm sorry it took me so long," Ruby said, cutting the chains with Crescent Rose. "I had to psych myself up a bit."

The huntsman said nothing. Ruby was worried for a moment that he was dead, but his hands moved twitchily upwards after a moment. She watched with fascination as he slowly pulled back all fingers but one and pointed to his throat.

What is he…? Oh, he's probably thirsty. I bet Tyrian didn't give him any drinks in between having his ligaments slit.

"Can you walk? I'm sorry, but we need to get you out of here. We don't have time for any side stuff."

His head weakly lulled up and down, more a vibration than a nod, and Ruby took that as confirmation. Gripping him by his arms, she tried to help him to his feet.

The man's face wretched, and he opened his crusty lips suddenly. Ruby let go of him, realizing belatedly that his arms were still scarred.

Tyrian was slicing him open and letting his aura heal him up so that he could do it all again. Dear Gods, this man must've suffered so much.

"I-I'm really sorry you had to go through this," said Ruby. "I wanted to come, but it was such a huge risk…"

It still was. Ruby was essentially banking on Salem trusting her enough to not be suspicious, forgetting to check Grubbie, or assuming the huntsman escaped on his own and not mounting an investigation.

She was well aware of how unlikely that was. This was almost certainly the end of her mission, but she couldn't bear listening to the screams any longer.

The huntsman nodded gratefully and stood on his own two feet. Ruby went first up the corridor back to the main castle, silently gesturing when it was safe for her rescued ally to follow. It was 4am, so no one should be out at this time, but that didn't mean that a Seer wasn't going to be up and about.

Her instincts proved right. Seers were few and far between, but one of them did float by ahead of them. Ruby and the huntsman waited patiently for it to pass, both of them sweating buckets the entire time (except the huntsman, who couldn't sweat due to dehydration).

To take no chances, Ruby waited for a full two minutes before proceeding, just in case the Seers had set patrol routes. She regretted not having paid more attention to these ominous orbs until now.

Miraculously, she encountered no opposition as she walked the old huntsman out to the docks. There weren't any more Seers along the path to avoid. Tyrian didn't burst through the windshield as they entered into a bullhead that Ruby had swiped a key for. No army of Shadow Hands summoned by Salem interrupted as she shook the huntsman's hand and watched his airship fly away.

"You might wanna check for bird doo-doo whenever you take a step on the way back," said Qrow. "Because I think I was shitting myself into extinction for that entire time."

It was early the next day when the other shoe dropped.

"Rose," said Dr. Watts, his head sticking through her doorway. "Our queen has called a meeting, and all of us are required to attend."

Ruby nodded. She'd been lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling for the past three hours straight and trying to ignore the guilt. Sure, she'd saved the huntsman, but she hadn't anticipated that there would be a fresh source of shame over having ruined everything she'd worked for.

But still…there was something else.

Being called to her execution didn't leave Ruby feeling scared.

Something else…

Welp, no time like the present. Ruby laced up her combat boots, scooped up Crescent Rose, and stepped to match pace with Watts as they made their way towards the throne room. She figured that if Salem already knew, bringing a weapon wouldn't be admitting guilt to anything new, so it couldn't hurt.

"Do you have any idea what this meeting might be about?" asked Watts as he walked alongside her. "I'm afraid her grace didn't elect to inform me, only insisting that we all be present."

He waited for a few seconds, leaning his head her way, then gave up with a frown at Ruby's lack of a response.

Qrow smirked as he flew overhead.

They were all waiting for her when she entered the room. Salem sat at the head on her throne, her arms resting on the table with her fingers interlocked. No emotion was on her face.

To her right was Tyrian, his face a fluid mixture of too many insane emotions to count. Ruby couldn't help but notice that the Faunus was armed, and his tail was wrapped around his chair in numerous anticipatory coils.

To her left was Hazel. The gargantuan man's eyes were narrowed, and his posture looked more rigid than usual. Ruby let out a long sigh when he folded his arms upon seeing her.

Watts took his seat next to Tyrian, leaving the last available chair next to Hazel for Ruby. The Grimm Queen had called her councilors to convene, and here they were.

The table in front of Ruby was what death looked like.

"Ah, you're finally here. Have a seat, young Rose. We have much to discuss."

Ruby closed her eyes, forced herself to inhale, and took a seat.

"Excellent. Now that we are all gathered, we may begin. As you all know, Tyrian recently brought in a huntsman who had periodically plagued our efforts in Mistral and imprisoned him in the dungeons. The purpose behind this capture was twofold. The first was obvious: to determine if the huntsman had any knowledge of my existence and operations."

Salem turned to her left, to the…

…Ruby's heart skipped a beat…

…to the side of the table Ruby was on.

"The second reason I had him interned here was to verify your disloyalty to my cause. And you have confirmed it to me."

Ruby closed her eyes. The something else she'd been feeling became clear as she pinpointed the emotion.

My mission is over, then.

She smiled in a relief she could finally show.

Finally.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Loyalty

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #648 – If you find a guy, don't rescue that guy. It's only going to end poorly for you. Trust me on this one.

Chapter Text

Ruby said nothing. She was surrounded on all sides by foes who could and frequently had bested her in combat (also Watts), and she knew that fighting was folly.

Escape…maybe. Probably not. She might've been able to outrun Tyrian and Hazel, but this was Salem's domain, where she could summon Shadow Hands to restrain any who opposed her. No, there was no escape.

"I've long had my doubts," Salem went on, frowning. Her fingers came apart, and she began absentmindedly drawing a circle on the table with her finger. "Since shortly after you joined us here, in fact. However, recent events have laid your attempts at sabotage bare."

She glanced up at Ruby again.

Salem's head tilted slightly. "It was when you took Ruby into Mistral that I first wondered just how loyal you truly were."

So, that was her mistake. Mistral had been well over a month ago, meaning that Salem had been onto her for some time now. Honestly, if Ruby could turn back the clock and – and –

Hold on a second.

Ruby's brow furrowed, and she looked up at Salem, who was looking right back at her.

No. Not right back at her. She was looking to her left, which was the same side of the table that Ruby was on, but she wasn't looking right back at Ruby.

"You led her to the southern beaches, but the Branwens were found to be in the shadow of the northern mountains. Such a spectacular display of incompetence, from someone who was supposed to be wiser than salt."

Ruby couldn't help but notice out of her peripheral vision that the massive doors to the room were slowly closing.

"Alas, we all fail. There is no shame in admitting this, and I would be a poor leader if I could not accept the many imperfections this world has to offer. But then, in Argus, you were captured by Specialists at the Ultramarine Research Base after failing to penetrate into a vault that my hound had little to no trouble breaching. Once was a mistake, but twice was a pattern."

What?

What was…?

Was Salem saying that…?

W-What?

"And then, Tyrian reports to me that much of your gear on Mount Serathusa mysteriously goes missing, having been lost by my faithful hound. A shame that my hound knows not how to disobey, but I'm sure it was a mere misunderstanding. A troubling misunderstanding, though, as I believe it nearly caused your party to have to turn back on your attempt to claim the powers of the Summer maiden. It almost seemed like someone tipping their hand in a final, hasty attempt to impede my intentions." Salem's finger stopped moving along the surface of the table. "And now, a prisoner goes missing in Evernight, with none but us five present within the castle's borders. I'd call that damning, wouldn't you…Hazel?"

Insane.

Utterly insane.

Ruby had broken that huntsman guy out, and then Salem had somehow found that out and interpreted it as proof that Hazel was a traitor.

That was in-fucking-sane.

Ruby had to tilt her head upwards to get a good look at Hazel. His face was just as stoic as always.

"Your grace…"

"You nearly had me fooled. Truly, I'm amazed you fell for such obvious bait. You clearly were intending to keep this treachery up for some time, but I suppose in the heart of all saboteurs lies impatience."

Ruby held her breath very carefully. Salem believed that it was Hazel who was the traitor, which was great for her at the moment because it meant she wasn't going to be blamed for freeing the huntsman, but it also wasn't going to last very long when Hazel told Salem that it wasn't true.

Salem stood up from her throne. "Have you nothing to say in your –"

Hazel shrugged his shoulders, causing his coat to flutter to the floor. His bare arms and shoulders were riddled with Dust crystals that had been stabbed into his flesh. When his muscles flexed, raw power coursed through his veins, as evidenced by the glowing lines beneath his skin.

Ruby blinked.

Oh wow, I guess he really is –

Hazel was smart when it came to combat; he struck at the greatest threat first – Salem herself. With lightning speed granted to him by the hunk of Lightning Dust he'd jabbed into his jugular, he punched one fist right through her head, leaving behind only torn strands of black flesh. Then, that hand grabbed her neck, his other grabbed her legs, and her tore her in half.

"DIE, YOU MONSTER!"

Both halves of Salem were flung in opposite directions.

And despite all that, Salem didn't stop grinning.

"I can't die, Hazel. That's the problem. Rose, Tyrian, Watts – kill him!"

All three of them were momentarily lost for words, even Tyrian. Salem had gone in knowing that Hazel was a traitor, apparently, but they hadn't, so there was a brief pause before they could even ready their weapons.

Hazel seemed to have anticipated that pause and went after the second most dangerous target. Tyrian was batted out the window and sent flying down the face of a rock cliff far below.

"異端の七面鳥のように刻んでやる！" he cried, his voice fading off as he fell.

At this point, Ruby was finally able to give a reaction, and she drove her scythe into Hazel's back. It didn't go through, but it did manage to clink against a greenish Dust crystal incidentally. That seemed to cause Hazel some discomfort. He turned around, fury in his eyes, and reached for Ruby in a swift underhand motion, but she fell back and dodged his other hand, having recognized the motion as a feint from when they sparred just a few days ago.

"You nearly had me fooled," called Salem's upper half, whose head had now regenerated. "But you made one critical mistake that made me keep my eyes on you, Rainart. When you first came to me, you told me that you were only joining to get revenge against Ozpin after a Grimm killed your sister on a huntsman mission…except I control the Grimm, not Ozpin! Did you truly think that I would forget that I controlled the Grimm and not him?"

"GRRRRRR!" Hazel roared, lifting up the table and throwing it straight at Ruby's. "Damn you, monster! Ever since that day my sister died to the Grimm that I knew you controlled and not Ozpin, I've made it my life's mission to impede your efforts and undermine you from within! I'll tear down this entire castle with my bare hands if I have to!"

Ruby sliced through the projectile table with her scythe, but the sheer force with which it had been thrown forced her to lose ground. Hazel capitalized on that; crouching down, he hurled his entire body through the air and smashed down into the ground. The only reason he didn't reduce Ruby into a pile of red paste was because she managed to push herself back with her maiden powers.

"Kill him!" demanded Salem, still apart from her legs but apparently well enough to give orders. "Kill him now!"

The floor on which they were standing crumbled apart, and both Ruby and Hazel fell through onto the next level of the castle.

Ruby caught herself in the air before her legs hit the ground using her magic and used that to break her fall, while Hazel slammed headfirst down. She held her breath and slashed several blades of air his way, trying to cut or knock out as much of his Dust as she could while he was down and thus deprive him of his power, but he rose up before she could get more than three of the twenty he had.

He moved faster than she could, his hand reaching around her throat and pulling her in close. Flames lit up around his body, burning Ruby by the mere proximity of hers to his.

"I've spent the past ten years subverting Salem before she could grow too powerful, and then you show up and ruin it all! Have you any idea how much you've endangered the world by handing her the powers of the maiden?"

"Get off of me!"

Ruby slapped her fists against his face and kicked her boots into his stomach, but nothing she could do would shake him. Tyrian and Salem were down, and Watts seemed to have fled (to be fair, that was the best thing he could do in a situation like this), meaning that it was up to Ruby to fight Hazel.

It was up to Ruby to defeat the man who'd won every battle between the two of them up to this point.

But this isn't a practice spar with certain victory conditions. That means I can't tap out, but it also means I don't have to limit myself!

Ruby swept her arm to the side, and a vicious gust of wind knocked into both her and Hazel from her right. The pair was sent into a wall, and their combined mass was enough to bring it down. The structural integrity of the castle was probably already weakened from the huge hole in the floor, and the entire throne room above them collapsed down on the duo.

I can bring the entire castle down on him if I need to!

"You don't need to do this!" Hazel cried. "Salem is a destructive influence, one you can free yourself from if you so choose!" He shook off a portion of the ceiling that had landed on his shoulder and balled up a fist.

"I do have to do this!" Ruby said.

"You're better! You can be better!" In spite of his words offering a truce, Hazel continued to attack.

She blocked his punch with her scythe by stabbing its base into the floor, but he was much bigger and stronger than her, and she was thrown back in a shower of sparks. Hazel clapped his hands together, summoning a wave of fire that Ruby just barely managed to stave off by creating a partial vacuum and depriving it of air.

Fire – that was what she needed!

Not literally, but metaphorically: if she could clear her mind and burn away any distracting thoughts, she might be able to access the full depths of the maiden powers.

Forget about any distractions. Forget about Salem, about Qrow, about cope Qrow, about Ozpin – focus only on the fight in front of you and on the powers within yourself. You can do this, Ruby Rose. You are the Summer maiden, and this power is your own. All you need to do is let it out.

Ruby shut her eyes and imagined them all standing in a field of tall, dry grass. Everyone who was something to her, all congregated together in one place. A single spark ignited on the sidelines, spreading slowly at first but then expanding into a raging conflagration that consumed all of the distractions until there was nothing but the emptiness.

Her eyes opened with burning maiden fire to face Hazel down.

Except she didn't feel a whole lot stronger. Also, Hazel had disappeared while her eyes had been closed.

Wait…it was Hazel who gave me that advice. Crud.

He came at her from behind, grabbing hold of one of her legs and slamming her up and down onto the ground. This time, though, he didn't let go.

Ruby felt her aura flutter as the relentless beating continued. This was no spar; Hazel was truly trying to kill her.

Just in case…Yang. Yang Yang Yang Yang Yang. Think of Yang.

Okay, now back to the fight.

His grip on her was solid, and short of cutting off her own leg, she could imagine no easy way to break free from it. That left her with only the hard ways. Damaging Hazel enough to loosen his grip was obvious, but with that semblance of his, she would need to break his aura first. Cutting off a finger or his entire hand was possible, but that ran into the same problem of the aura.

What could make Hazel let go of me? I can't use my semblance or I'll just take him with me, and he's smarter than just letting me go if I try to trick him.

Well, there was one way.

Hazel was only trying to kill her because he thought her to be a brainwashed agent of Salem. If he knew…

No. That's too risky. Salem is just a floor above, and I'd expect she has ears everywhere in her own castle.

So, back to the hand then.

When Ruby next hit the ground, she used her powers to send an immense burst of force through her fingertips, shattering the floor into pieces and kicking up a large cloud of dust. Hazel didn't see it, so when he slammed her again, the ground broke beneath her, and she fell into the next level down. Hazel hadn't been expecting her to keep moving, and her thin leg slipped right out of his fingers.

We're three floors down. Maybe I really will be bringing down the entire castle on him.

Salem wouldn't be too happy about that, but she had ordered Ruby to kill Hazel, and that was probably the only way to do it. With her weak control of magic, there was no way for her to overpower him, and he was a sturdier combatant than her.

I don't think there's any way to asphyxiate him by sucking away all the oxygen from his lungers or to instantly kill him by boiling his blood, or the other maidens I've fought would have tried something like that. Raven, certainly. That means we're just gonna have to go at it until one of us drops.

Ruby got up and summoned a pair of fireballs for each hand. She was all set to throw them at Hazel from below when he suddenly turned his back to her for no reason.

Don't know why, but I'm not about to turn down a free shot.

Her fireballs collided with his back just as Tyrian leapt down from the first floor. Hazel caught the scorpion by the throat with one hand and reacted in time to also latch onto the tail before it stabbed into his heart.

"裏切り者！ 偽善者！ 悪魔！" he cried furiously, writhing every portion of his body like the arachnid he was based off of within Hazel's grip. "この罪には赦しはありません！"

Tyrian could carve right through Hazel's aura with that semblance of his, but unless he lucked out and scored a lethal blow, Hazel would just numb the pain, keep fighting, and heal it up afterwards. No doubt Hazel would be manually guarding his vital organs like they were made of solid gold.

But the venom…if that gets into his bloodstream, we'll win for sure.

Hazel evidently had the same thought and pulled the Faunus' tail right off in a single yank.

"ああ！ 死ね死ね死ね死ね死ね！"

"You deserve no less, you creature," Hazel spat, loudly crunching Tyrian's bones within his iron grasp. Blood dripped out of the two snapped ends of the Faunus trait as Tyrian wailed and Hazel's eyes flashed murder. "You detestable blight. You utter thing."

Ruby bounced off a wall and arrived one floor higher using her semblance, then dove right between Hazel's legs using her semblance. While he was distracted maiming Tyrian, she gripped two Dust crystals jammed into his two legs, taking one in each hand, and sent a stream of charged electrons from one side to the other. He might not feel pain, but that didn't mean his body wouldn't respond to physical damage.

The Dust was a good enough conductor for the current to flow through his lower half and interrupt electrical signals within. Hazel's legs lost their control and grew limp, causing the giant to tumble down to the lowest level of the castle that had yet been exposed in their destructive debacle of a duel.

Ruby hopped up, activated her semblance, and headbutted herself straight into Hazel's stomach. The ground beneath him gave way, and the pair of them tumbled down yet another level.

Straddling Hazel, Ruby reached her arms out in opposite directions. Her maiden powers weren't all that strong, but they were strong enough to damage the structural integrity of two more walls by blasting them out.

The entire castle creaked, and Ruby rotated her body by 90 degrees so that she now faced the few remaining walls. Hazel reached up for her, but gunfire from above forced him to instead cover and protect his face. Ruby mentally thanked Tyrian for the save as she pushed out the last pair of walls holding up this room and the three rooms above it.

Hazel punched her with a glowing fist that seemed to have more force than usual, knocking the wind out of her lungs, but she had already done her job. All that was left was ensuring that she wasn't caught in the ensuing disaster.

She kicked off of his stomach and rose into the air, but in a desperate bid to bring her down with him, Hazel let Tyrian's bullets land direct hits and grabbed Ruby by the leg. The walls were crumbling around them, and his final gambit was to ensure the powers of the maiden didn't remain within Salem's reach.

And he'll succeed. Yang Yang Yang Ya–

"女の子を放っておいてください、このふしだらな女!"

Like a missile, Tyrian flew into Hazel, hands first. His bladed weapons, the Queen's Servants, slit through Hazel's wrists and aura alike, stabbing into the muscled tissue connecting his fist to his hand. His arm torn apart from the inside out, Hazel's grip on Ruby loosened enough for her to grab the back of the Faunus' coat and fly straight up as the castle collapsed inward around them.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Damages

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #904 – Mailing a letter? I'd recommend lowercase i – it's the smallest letter so it probably costs the least for postage.

Ruby's Tip #382 – Summer weather too hot to handle? Wait for winter; it's a lot cooler then.

Chapter Text

Everything was in tatters except for Ruby herself.

Salem was able to shrug of being bisected, but taking that much damage to her body had side effects. Regenerating both legs as well as her hoo-haa was going to be keeping her busy for a while, and she couldn't really move without someone coming to her aid. Her ability to command the Grimm was also severely limited during the healing process.

That meant that there was no one to repair Evernight, which was surprisingly still standing, but just barely. Ruby may have only take down a small area, but the effect of the collapse was cascading as the shockwaves of the implosion spread through the castle. The destroyed floors' rubble landed on the floors below them, and that much weight caused those floors to fall, and so on all the way down to bedrock. Plus, the materials from which the castle was built weren't really up to spec or inspected all that well, and the neighboring rooms lost some of their structural integrity due to the sudden motion. Some candles had been knocked over, and a fire had destroyed much of their food stores.

Tyrian himself was in a critical condition. Hazel might not have hit him all that much but pulling off his tail had sent him into a state of shock. The severing of what was akin to a limb as well as immense blood loss had left him in a weak state, and Watts was saying it would probably be a week or two before he was even standing, let alone fit to go out into the field.

Oh, yeah, and there was Watts, too. He wasn't in tatters, having fled the fight early on. He might be later on, though, when Salem her ahold of him.

In short, it was an utter disaster, and it would take multiple months before they could put behind them all of the damage from Ruby's fight with Hazel.

Salem was thrilled.

"Hazel the betrayer lies dead, young Rose, and by your hand. How could I be anything but pleased?" Salem had said, elated, when approached by Ruby.

Ruby had awkwardly kicked at her heels. "W-Well, because I destroyed your…castle?"

"Ruby, please don't kick at my heels. Furthermore, while the partial loss of our fortress of Evernight is a setback, the damage Hazel could have incurred had he escaped and been left to run about unchecked would be far more catastrophic. With his awareness of our numbers and strategies, he could have given our enemies a grand advantage over us. A traitor is worth much more than a castle that I can have my Grimm rebuild when I am at my fullest."

Salem was currently residing atop a temporary throne, her old one having been destroyed during the cave-in. Ruby wasn't sure how to behave around the typically larger-than-life queen in her vulnerable state, so she mostly just tried to keep her eyes downcast and avoid staring at Salem's regenerating body.

"To that end, we have another loose end we must clean up. The escaped huntsman that Hazel released must be brought to justice. Take Tyrian with you and hunt him down."

Ruby nodded. "Yes, your gr…oh. Um. Tyrian is…"

Salem stared at her blankly for a moment, then her eyes widened in comprehension. "Of course. Take Dr. Watts with you and hunt him down. The doctor can provide you with any and all information that we know on your target."

Dr. Watts…Ruby had next to no experience with him, and if his departure during the battle with Hazel was anything to go off of, she wouldn't be expecting much help.

"I could do this on my own, your grace," Ruby offered. "Watts is treating Tyrian. Would he not be more useful here with you?"

Salem shook her head. "Tyrian's aura will heal him with or without the good doctor to supervise it. Watts may work on devising blueprints for replacement tail for what was lost while on assignment with you and implement it upon his return."

Ruby had meant to say that she herself didn't want (or appreciate being assigned) a chaperone, but Salem wasn't one to tolerate backtalk, and Ruby dared not question her will twice on the same topic. Bowing, she backed off and backed away.

"So, this is our first adventure together," Ruby said, reclining her chair in the airship next to Watts. "Besides Ruby's eleven. Our first solo adventure together, then."

"Quite," Watts replied curtly. Carefully.

"You worried about Salem?" Ruby asked. "I don't think you need to be. I mean, she might be a bit upset at you for not fighting Hazel and all, but she's in such good spirits that I don't think she'll even remember you if you don't bring it up. After all, we'll be gone for however long it takes to find and catch this guy, so there isn't –"

"No."

"What?"

"We haven't been given orders to capture him."

Ruby held back a frown at that. Salem wanted her to kill him? That was…going to be difficult. Well, not difficult to do, what with Ruby being a maiden and all, but difficult to convincingly fake.

"Same difference," Ruby said with a shrug. "We'll be gone for just as long either way."

Watts turned to look at Ruby with a piercing gaze. Recalling the lecherous way he'd stared at Emerald and Neo, she was tempted to recoil into her hood a bit, but that sounded a bit too much like showing weakness.

"Does it not…bother you?" he asked.

Ruby blinked. "What did you say?"

Watts turned his attention back to piloting the airship. "Forgive my impertinence."

"What? What's wrong? Wait, I wasn't trying to sound all threaten-y just now, I was actually unsure of what you said. Something bothering me?"

The prim and proper Atlesian took a moment to assess Rose (likely making sure that her honest words didn't carry some deeper, hidden meaning) and then sighed.

"Hazel. You ended the life of our colleague but days ago, and now here you are, ready to go on your next mission. And to find out that he was a double agent all along…how are you so unaffected, girl?"

Well, for one thing, Ruby herself was a double agent, so she supposed that that plot twist wasn't particularly surprising. Salem certainly did have a lot of holes in her tent that let the rats slip in.

But then Lionheart is her agent, and she has Cinder's complete team inside of Beacon, so I guess both sides have a decent handful of spies in the enemy camp.

As for killing Hazel, she might've been bothered by it (he was probably a good guy or something if his life's goal was stopping Salem), but she'd known him exclusively as the grumpy agent of Salem. Her mind had yet to catch up to the notion that he wasn't a villain, and now that he was dead, she was rather hoping that it wouldn't ever need to.

Of course, none of those reasons could be explained to Watts, so she just shrugged. "Guess I'm built different."

"So it would seem."

"Also, I only worked with him for a few days total. I think Tyrian and I have spent more time together."

Watts nodded, accepting that more readily. "I suppose my time in Rainart's presence was longer than yours, and thus you would not be as moved by the revelation of his true loyalties."

"So, the mission…" Ruby twiddled her thumbs. "…hey, do you fight?"

"I beg your pardon?" Watts looked at her, indignant. "I'll have you know, I'm an expert strategist, the finest tactician to have ever graced the globe with his –"

"Yeah, but like…can you fight? In a fight?"

Watts frowned and looked away. "My aura isn't still locked."

"Imma take that as a no. I guess that means I'll be doing the fighting when we fight Mr. Huntsman."

Score one for the good guys. I can just chase him away out of Watts' line of sight and claim that he fell off a cliff or into a volcano or something and the body was unrecoverable.

"My assignment is to ensure the completion of our mission to the fullest standards of her grace, and to provide you with all necessary implements to track our quarry. While you may be superior at a physical chase, I can locate Pickerel digitally in an instant. His stolen airship was one of ours, tracked to his home kingdom of Mistral before it ran out of fuel and crash landed. There have been fourteen reported social media posts by Mistrilian natives about huntsman visiting their villages. Using decoding software to –"

"Wait, who's Pickerel?"

Watts stared at her for a second, and that was all it took for Ruby to use context clues to figure it out.

"Never mind. Go on." She pursed her lips. "Sorry."

His eyes narrowed. "As I was saying, I used…ugh. The finer aspects of my work would be lost on you. I have determined his most recent location with near certainty, and our trajectory will take us there." He turned back to the controls of the airship. "And our target's name is Fell Pickerel. Please try to display some professionalism, Miss Rose."

Watts wasn't very talkative for the rest of the flight, so Ruby caught up on some sleep in the passenger's seat. They arrived after a few hours of flying.

It was…kind of weird, though. They typically wanted to keep everything low key on their jobs, and Watts landed the airship right outside of the village, clearly visible to the guards on the walls. It wasn't out of the question to fly an airship in public, but that was the kind of thing that left a memory in villagers' minds, and leaving a trail was the opposite of what they wished to do.

A guard was already coming out from behind the village walls to meet them when they exited the airship. This village, whose name was not yet known to Ruby, was a small one. It was probably only a few hundred feet each way in its dimensions, enclosed by a wooden wall that was just tall enough to keep out a Beowolf. The wall itself wasn't cut but made from erected timbers, still with bark. Ruby had counted about thirty buildings in total within the set out boundaries.

"Excellent, that shall do nicely." Watts tweaked his mustache as he looked out at the wall. "Now, it is your turn, Rose. I located the village, and you shall do the rest."

She nodded.

The guard, a rather chubby woman dressed in flimsy armor who was probably the same age as Miss Goodwitch, greeted them with a friendly smile and departed her post to meet them as they disembarked. She carried with her a long spear that screamed 'civilian guard,' and bore no other implements. There was no doubt in Ruby's mind that this woman was no huntress, even if she was armed.

"Welcome tah Hibernance," she said, making no attempt to disguise or water down her rustic accent. "Are you folks from the capital?"

Ruby nodded. "Yes, we are, as a matter of fact. We're here on behalf of Haven, looking for a huntsman. We believe he recently passed through your village. Um, d-doc, do we have a picture of –"

"No need," said the woman, smiling warmly. "It were Mr. Pickerel, weren't it? He was the only huntsman who came through these parts in recent memory. Left quite a stir, that'un."

Ruby sighed in relief. "Oh, that's gr–"

"Which way?" asked Watts.

The woman's smile faltered slightly at the brusque tone of the doctor, but it didn't fall off. She raised an arm in the direction of the forests their airship was parked closest to. "H–"

Watts drew his pistol and shot her through the eye.

"What? Why?! Why did you –"

"Quite a stir," he said calmly, shaking the smoking pistol a few times and placing it back in his belt. "He told them of Salem, no doubt."

"You don't know that!" Ruby screamed, tears forming in her eyes.

Dear Gods, this was Winter all over again. A-At least for this woman, it was quick. Painless, even.

"Her grace does not like to leave loose ends. The entire purpose of our mission is to snuff out any confusion regarding her existence with extreme prejudice." At the sound of angry yelling and metal clanking from within the village, he raised an eyebrow. "And speaking of the devil…"

"Great!" Ruby shouted. "Now the village saw us! The Pickerel guy is gonna know we're onto him." She folded her arms into her chest and glared at him. "Great job ruining the mission, Arthur."

Watts didn't say anything back. The noise from within the village was getting louder. Ruby followed his eyes to the main gates, which were opening.

"Wait…"

"Our queen cannot be discovered. Even a single human being who remembers Mr. Pickerel shall be a risk to everything we wish to achieve." He looked at her calmly. "It is most fortunate that the village is made almost entirely of wood. It shall do nicely for your task."

Qrow was shaking his head from the sidelines, but Ruby ignored him and look back at the village. There was now a small garrison of fighters building up at the front. At the front was a man in matching armor to the dead woman, his back to Ruby as he gave a pep talk or maybe shouted orders to his troops.

"You can't expect me to…"

Watts let out a breath. Ruby couldn't tell if he was trying to appear impatient or understanding. "This is how her grace operates. You dealt with Rainart. You must now deal with them."

Ruby looked at the people again. Watts was watching, so there was no way to get out of this without him reporting it to Salem. Still, she couldn't do it. She couldn't just sit around and watch an entire village die.

"You already did," squawked Qrow. "Its name was Ovais, and the only difference was that you didn't have to do it yourself. So tell me, Ruby Rose – what difference does it make to the villagers whether it's you or Tyrian who kills them?"

"It makes a difference to me," Ruby said.

"Hmm?" Watts hummed. "What was that?"

"I…I don't think I can."

The mission…she'd jeopardized it for one man. Surely she could jeopardize it for an entire village.

"You rolled the dice when you freed him from Salem's clutches," Qrow pointed out. His sharp tone did nothing to quell Ruby's growing sense of nausea. "But here, there's no way you get lucky and talk your way out of it. Hazel taking the fall for what you did was a miracle, but miracles never happen twice."

Qrow flew over to her and landed in front of Watts, who was ranting about something or the other.

"Listen to me closely, pipsqueak. You know how Ozpin said that the relics and maidens could be used to end the world? He wouldn't joke about that sort of thing. Ruby, millions of people could actually die. This isn't some thought experiment – Salem is actively hunting these powers, and she's already got eyes on more than half of them. If you abandon your mission, there will be consequences. It sounds far away now, especially when you can see these villagers right in front of you, but it could really happen. Not hypothetically, not theoretically – if Salem puts these powers in the hands of someone like Cinder and tells her to let loose, a kingdom could fall…Dust, maybe multiple kingdoms. You saw what Lìxià did; you know what maidens are capable of. Sticking to absolute morals sounds great on paper, but if you end up killing or causing the deaths of more people than you save just so you can sleep at night, then you truly would be the villain Salem wants you to become. With Spring, Salem could get that relic that tells her how to find the maidens, how to find and use the other relics…look, Ruby, this isn't a game where you gamble on good luck or determination getting you through the bad spots. If you risk your cover here and fail, you don't get to shrug your shoulders and try again later. This is real, kiddo."

Ruby brushed the tears away from her eyes. She didn't want to burn down a village with its residents still inside of it, but people didn't always get what they wanted. Qrow's renewed presence in spite of the fact that Ruby had murdered him was proof enough of that.

"I'll…I'll leave you to it. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He hopped a few times to pick up speed and flew back to the airship.

"…have to do it," said Watts, anger dripping into his voice. "I certainly can't! Rose, they're getting ready to advance upon us. Act now, or –"

"Okay, she whispered, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Okay."

The villager battalion was now in a phalanx formation, but they lacked shields. They probably were used to skewering Grimm on those spears of theirs, not defending against huntresses, and certainly not against maidens.

Ruby held out a hand and gathered magical flames. Her arm glowed with bright golden light as the power built up. Sparks fell down from her fingertips, indicating it was almost ready to be discharged.

Watts, satisfied, pressed his arms behind his back and began to walk away from Ruby. "I'll plot our next course. Take all the time you need."

The villagers, upon seeing that she was a murderer animal monster rogue huntress, had broken formation and fled back to within their walls, but that would only seal their fate. Their wooden shelter would be a coffin in moments' time.

Only the armored commander remained. Drawing his spear, he bravely charged towards Ruby. In any other situation, she would've been driven to tears by his unyielding courage. Today, her tears flowed for a different reason.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to herself.

Ruby buried her flaming eyes into her shoulder as the commander, the village, and any hope for her soul were burned away in the blazing jet of fire that came out of her hand.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Hunt

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #649 – Worried about bleach ruining a mixed load of white and colored laundry? Drink the bleach instead, and then you won't ever have to worry about anything again.

Ruby's Tip #707 – Suffering from a stuffy nose? See above.

Ruby's Tip #108 – Having a bad day and don't know what to do? I'll give you one guess. These problems, they really solve themselves, don't they?

Chapter Text

As the airship hovered around the skyspace above the village of Hibernance so that Watts could visually verify no survivors escaped on foot, Ruby felt a swirl of unpleasant emotions taking over her heart.

First and foremost was the guilt. There were so many reasons to be ashamed of herself right now. She'd killed all of those people, and it hadn't even been quick; burning alive was probably the worst way someone could go.

On top of that, she felt an acute sense of self-hatred for her own blatant hypocrisy. The hound and Tyrian had slaughtered an entire village, and Ruby hadn't felt nearly as bad then. True, she wasn't the one responsible then, but technically it was a fire that killed those people hundreds of feet down below. The point was, Ruby had held in her hands the power to stop the senseless death, and both times she'd ignored it.

And then, there was dismay over the root cause of it all – the huntsman. Fell Pickerel. She'd let him loose thinking herself above the consequences of such an action, and that had cost however many people were in the town their lives.

Roman's lesson echoed in her mind, one which she'd apparently failed to fully pick up. In her head, she considered his words on knowing one's boundaries and being willing to accept the consequences of crossing them, and she realized that she hadn't thought out either fully.

It had seemed like the risk was to Ruby's mission. Freeing the huntsman endangered her own life by possibly outing her to Salem, which she was willing to risk as long as there was a chance of getting away scot-free. That was arrogance, she now realized, arrogance in that Ruby had assumed she was invincible and would somehow be smart enough to weasel her way out of it. So many things had gone right recently – earning Salem's trust, usurping Cinder, finding Raven's location, acquiring the maiden powers – that Ruby had got it her head that these victories were due to some latent talent of her own, not chance, luck, or help.

Still, brushing all that stuff aside, Ruby's luck had somehow held, and Hazel had taken the fall. He either hadn't figured out what she'd done or had been so sure of his victory that he'd thought it unnecessary to mention his own innocence in the matter, so Ruby's secret crimes were now permanently swept under the rug, taken with Hazel to the grave. But she'd still failed to heed Roman's wise words.

There was always a reason behind a rule, and that reason was often to protect you. They didn't put up red lights at intersections and Do Not Enter signs around construction sites because they enjoyed bossing people around. Salem's rules might not have been formal laws, but they too had reasons behind them, and breaking them was something Ruby had done at her own risk. No, at everyone else's risk.

Seriously, what had Ruby thought was going to happen? That Salem would just give up on Pickerel after he got away once and leave him to pollute the world with dangerous awareness of her presence? And the worst part was, up until the annihilation of Hibernance just moments prior, she'd been fully prepared to make that same mistake again by letting Pickerel escape.

Even if she did manage to pull a fast one over Watts, there would be serious, real-world consequences to ignoring Salem's orders. Pickerel would spread word of Salem eventually, likely to his hunter allies or other authorities. Knowledge of a Grimm goddess wasn't something one kept their mouth shut about forever. Eventually, that knowledge would trickle down to Salem, and she would feel the need to snuff it out, and that would only mean more burnt villages and dead townsfolk. Even Ozpin knew better than to tell the world of Salem.

Giving in to temptations and freeing him when I knew better was my mistake. Sure, I saved one life, but I put so many others in grave danger.

Roman was right. Just because she could do something doesn't mean she should have.

Watts and Salem might have been trying to bring this guy down for the wrong reasons, but it would ultimately be to the world's benefit that he was silenced, one way or another.

They found his trail not hours after leaving behind the conflagration that was once a bustling community. Watts apparently had developed long range sensors that could pick up microparticles of Dust that had been left over from usage of weapons, likely against Grimm, and there was a path leading through the forest.

"We've got him tied to a leash," the scientist had said. "All that's left is to reel him in."

"That's not how fishing works," Ruby breathed, her voice hurting from all the coughing that the crying had brought.

"It matters little. Anyways, on to the important matter: you. That village clearly took a lot out of you. Will you b–"

"Yes."

Watts raised a skeptical eyebrow. "That's not what I meant."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I know what you actually meant. Yes, I'm fresh enough with my powers to bring him in, and yes, I get that he has to…to…"

Ruby took a deep breath in. If she couldn't say the word, there would be no way she could do the deed.

"He has to die," she uttered at last.

Watts looked satisfied at that. "Now, the sensors won't be able to tell us how far out he is or if he changes direction, so we shall both need to keep a lookout. When we locate him, you may drop out of the bay doors and dispatch him at your leisure. Is this an acceptable division of labor?"

Ruby nodded mutely.

She'd never liked the idea of losing. In fact, she'd always hated it. Losing a game, losing a fight, losing anything – but the worst loss of all would be losing a life. Ruby had always known she was going to become a huntress, and the notion of failing to protect someone filled her to the brink with terror.

That was why she'd always sworn to never give up until everyone was safe. If two people were in danger, she would fight twice as hard and protect them both. No person, Grimm, or act of fate would force her to make a choice between one innocent life or another.

But now she realized that sometimes, there could be two irreconcilable options, each one precluding the other. Sometimes, you had to protect A by harming B, or vice versa. There were some choices that Ruby would have to make.

One thing was for certain, though. When this mission ended, so did Watts. So did Tyrian, so did Cinder, so did Lionheart, so did every enemy Ruby could get her hands on. Ruby was already the Summer maiden, and she was on track to becoming Spring soon. When she had those bargaining chips in her hands, Goodwitch and Ozpin would do what she asked, and then everyone who was at fault for all these horrible things Ruby had been forced to do would burn.

They weren't able to locate him before the trail of Dust ran out, which meant one of two things. He had either stopped using Dust…

"…or he's aware of our presence and consciously stopped," Watts said.

Ruby nodded and walked back to the rear of the airship. The rest was going to be up to her.

The doctor pressed the button to open the ramp. Ruby felt wind whooshing through her hair as the air pressure stabilized.

"Godspeed," said Watts, giving her a curt nod before turning back to the controls.

Ruby held her breath and leaned backwards. Within seconds, she was falling out of the sky as the bullhead grew smaller and the ground grew larger.

Ruby held out her arms and simply embraced the feeling of falling. There was something so simple about being able to let go, hand herself over to gravity, and ignore the ground until it was upon her. Her semblance enabled her to travel straight upwards and basically fly, but Ruby had recently come to appreciate the sensations that freefall gave her body. The air whipping against her hair, the world zooming by but also staying the same distance away due to perspective, Remnant rushing towards her and promising release when it came…

Falling felt a lot like dying. Ruby kinda liked it.

It was the power of the maiden that enabled her to land without taking damage. That said, her control wasn't excellent, so the forest floor wasn't so lucky. It wasn't as though Pickerel didn't know he was being chased, meaning that making noise didn't strictly matter, but Ruby had better avoid it in the future.

Watts had given her his best impression of a heading – merely the direction the Dust trail had been leading before it cut off – but there was no guarantee that her quarry wouldn't just change course.

Dust, it was such a weird sensation to be on the opposite end. The staple of Yang's gruesome, not-kid-friendly horror movies that Ruby had snuck into her room during Dad's episodes of n̶e̶g̶l̶e̶c̶t̶ depression was the chase scene. Usually, it was the monster that tore through the dirt with its rugged claws and drooling fangs as it relentlessly pursued its hounded prey with mindless determination. Regardless of what it was – a shapeshifted werewolf, an alien creature, a brain-eating zombie – the monster was always the one who hunted, and the protagonist got hunted.

Now, though? Ruby supposed she was both.

Ruby tore through the jungle with her semblance, keeping her senses sharp and her eyes turning for every little sign of motion. With the enhancements the maiden powers gave her, she could last longer at super speed, so she could afford to expend a little aura here without it risking everything. Without any clues, Ruby had no idea if Pickerel was running off in fear or hunkering down for a protracted duel.

It's probably the latter. If he just escaped from Salem's clutches, he'll be in no shape to stand and fight. That doesn't mean I can slack off, but it does mean he's going to put everything he has into fleeing or hiding.

There was the option of doing something drastic like lighting a forest fire to draw him out forcibly, but Ruby wanted to hold back from that for now. From a practical standpoint, a hiding huntsman would fare better in a raging inferno of blindingly bright fire and distracting plumes of smoke, assuming he found a decent hiding place. Locating him was probably better.

Plus, I'm still the good guy. The village was…something, but I only did that because I had to. If I can avoid starting fires that might spread throughout the countryside, I will.

I'm still a good person. I can be.

There was no trail so far. Ruby supposed that made sense; a huntsman didn't live to a ripe old age if he wasn't extremely experienced at surviving in the field. Pickerel would probably have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Fortunately, so do I.

"Check," Ruby said into her earpiece.

There was a moment of static, and then Watts' cold voice fed into her ear. "No sign of our mutual friend quite yet. I shall make you aware if that changes."

Despite the fact that Watts could only hear her, Ruby nodded.

If he was using Dust and chose to stop using it halfway through the forest, that means he saw us in the airship coming after him at some point. Watts is keeping a lookout from the sky, so he's either hiding somewhere nearby or has somehow gotten past us without being seen. Either could be true, and there's no telling if he's got some overpowered semblance to help him. I'm going to need to do something to draw him out.

There was nothing that could scare him out; if Ruby summoned a bajillion Grimm or something, he would just stay hidden (assuming that what was going on here). Watts could bombard the place from orbit, but if Ruby wasn't able to find a body, she'd never be able to stop searching.

What would make a huntsman come out of hiding?

"Watts."

"Miss Rose?"

"Can you reach Salem? Or a Seer? I need a Grimm."

Watts wasn't sure what Rose would be able to accomplish with the aid of a single Grimm that she couldn't accomplish using her awesome powers, but it wasn't his place to question the golden child of Salem herself.

"I have the means to contact what is left of Evernight, true. Her grace may remotely dispatch a nearby creature of Grimm to your aid, if you –"

"No. Don't have it aid me. Also, I'm gonna need you to fly off."

That wasn't what Watts wanted to hear. Salem might have assigned him to this mission due to Tyrian's absence, but a perfectionist like him preferred to believe that she wished for his devotion to the thorough completion of her goals. He was here to ensure Rose didn't flounder at a critical moment and free the huntsman as she had before.

That much was obvious, though he knew her grace would hear not a word of it (which was precisely the reason he had yet to inform her of this development). Even if he had proof, he had little to gain by exposing her, and the temper tantrum the 'goddess' would throw could very well lead to his death.

Watts, Cinder, and Tyrian were all motivated by the same thing – selfish pursuit of their own goals. All three knew this and took no shame in it; it was how the smart conducted themselves. Rose, on the other hand, was an idealist and sought to rewrite the frameworks of society and its huntsman-centric viewpoint, much like Hazel had…rather, much like Hazel claimed to have had. She might have aligned herself with Salem, but it was out of a fundamentally flawed belief that Salem was somehow a force for right.

As if. There was no 'right.' And that was the crux of Watts' current issue – Rose would see killing the huntsman as unethical and fail to do so. She had already shown an unwillingness to make the smart choice in Hibernance without his incessant prompting. Rose was the type to ignore the larger picture and make every decision based on what she felt at the moment.

Such would not do; Watts refused to fail a mission, and he was not fain to place his own head on the chopping block in the event that Pickerel eventually resurfaced years later despite Watts and Rose having 'killed him.'

"Rose, I must insist on remaining nearby, to assist you if –"

"We won't catch him if you're hovering overhead," she said through the short-ranged radio. "Just leave me, and I'll bring you his head. Promise."

His head…

That might change things. If Rose guaranteed a corpse, Watts could hold her to that. Empty promises and false words meant nothing, but evidence did not lie.

And if she fails to produce it, I shall know our huntsman remains at large.

"Very well. But bring back his remains…it will be useful in putting our queen at ease. I shall dispatch your Grimm and depart for one hour. Shall this be propitious to a successful capture?"

There was no reply for a moment. Watts waited patiently for her to finish whatever words she was preparing, but they never came.

"Rose?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I nodded and thought we were done talking."

At her current skill level, Ruby could easily smush a Beringel into a fine gorilla-flavored paste. There were so many ways she could accomplish this simple task. She could hook Crescent around its legs, topple it down with a high impact gunshot, and behead it while it was down. Or, alternatively, she could freeze it in place with a blast of Summer maiden enhanced ice, then shatter it with a concussive burst of pressurized air. Why, she could even jump into its enclosure and get it shot by a zookeeper because we can't have nice things.

Sadly, none of these easy methods were to be, as Ruby needed to get her butt kicked by this oversized monkey. It was currently pounding her like a cake, and she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to last like this.

That's a lie. I could keep this kind of fight up for the rest of the evening if I wanted to, given my aura level and maiden powers. That said, I will have to wrap this up soon. If I do end up fighting for the rest of the evening, it'll be pretty obvious we're faking.

If Pickerel didn't come out to save her, she would just try the same thing in the next forest over. It wasn't foolproof, but it was the best she could do at the moment short of a forest fire.

The Beringel roared with manufactured rage and pummeled Ruby against a tree. She put up a weak defense against it by blocking its fist with Crescent (the real Ruby would know that it would be better to dodge), but it was too much, and her aura fluttered wildly as her weapon was driven out of her hands. Ruby Rose was beaten.

And help wasn't coming.

Ummm…

Well, she could try it for a little bit longer before giving up. Ruby rolled out of the way before the behemoth crushed her and got up to run away.

"HELP! PLEASE!" she screamed. "SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE!"

Speaking was a calculated risk, because doing so in the middle of nowhere might reveal that she was expecting someone to be around despite her apparent isolation. Still, if her target heard her pleas, he would most likely help rather than ponder the logic behind her decisions.

"NO!" Ruby screamed as the Beringel's sweeping paw knocked her off her feet and began to drag her back towards it.

That was the basis of her plan: taking advantage of her prior mistake. She'd freed Pickerel, so he would still be thinking of her as being on 'his' side.

And she was. He was on humanity's side, and he needed to die to ensure the maximum chances of survival for the most people, so she was on his side by killing him.

How fucked up am I, for even thinking that?

But despite her awareness of her own flawed justifications, Ruby couldn't bring herself to back out of this plan.

There was a good chance that he would have wondered what a normal teenager was doing in Salem's castle and piece together that she was (apparently) a villain, but if he was that logical, he would probably justify her fighting the Grimm as proof of her having defected and run away, only to be chased down by Salem's vengeful beasts.

The Beringel was now choking Ruby to death; truly a tragic end to her story. Crescent had been lost in her pitiful attempt to flee, and she was out of options.

"…hhh….lp…m-m…"

The weakened groan must've done the trick, for a noise came from behind the Beringel. Both Ruby and her Grimm adversary looked in the direction of the sound, only to see empty space there.

"YAAAAA!"

A boot slammed out of nowhere into the Grimm's face, knocking it back and releasing its hold on Ruby. Pickerel, who now looked far more composed than the screaming man she'd seen in Tyrian's chamber, landed from his attack in a handstand. He rotated his entire body by 180 degrees and pushed off the ground, kicking his feet into the Beringel's stomach.

The monster's back made a vicious cracking sound, and it slumped over. As its body started to fade, the huntsman who'd slain it brushed a dirty hand over his nose.

"Dust-woven boots. They never think to take 'em off ya when they search ya." He turned back to face Ruby. "Fancy seei–"

Crescent Rose's flat collided with his forehead.

Some huntsman, Ruby thought. To let his aura down in the presence of an enemy…I'm amazed he was this much of a thorn in Salem's side.

The body didn't move, but Ruby could see that he was still alive by the motion his breathing caused in and around his chest.

I'm not being fair. He thought I was an ally. It's not his survival instincts I should be criticizing but his judgment of character, and I think that says more about me than it does him.

Ruby tapped him with her boot, then zoomed back immediately. She refused to fall for the old 'pretending to be unconscious' trick. Once she'd waited a suitable amount of time, she dashed back over to his body and bound his hands and feet with a metallized rope she'd brought. A simple strip of cloth was inserted into his mouth to muffle any cries for help and, just to be absolutely sure, Ruby took his shoes off.

If he had to die, it was going to be like Winter. He would get to know that he died for an important reason, not just for Ruby's kicks.

"I hope you wake up soon," Ruby said. "I can't wait for this to be over."

She couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"You know, I meant hunting you when I said 'this,' but the sentiment also applies to this mission overall. It's horrible, living like this. You see, I expected this to be an event. It was to be something I did for a set amount of time and then came back from and moved on. Like…uh, like a field trip that came and went. But it's starting to seem like there's no clear end in sight, and I'm starting to see it change me. I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I won't be able to look back at this as an isolated incident, but as a real significant portion of my whole life. It won't be 'the one time I went to Evernight' but that 'my time spent at Evernight.'"

It felt good to talk it all out. Pickerel was down and couldn't glare at her, vilify her, call her out for her shortcomings, or look into Ruby's eyes with disappointment and shame. Ruby needed this; she needed the simplicity of this exchange. Having someone to talk to made all the difference in the world.

"And the worst part is, I'm only fifteen. I'm supposed to be doing kid stuff, but instead I'm working with humanity's sworn enemy and hurting innocent people. This is gonna psychologically affect me or something, probably. And speaking of my age, what am I even doing? Like, seriously, what is going on here? I've had to make so many split-second decisions that have major consequences for so many people, and I'm not qualified to make them at all! Ozpin and Goodwitch gave me a mission, and I've been mostly going off of that, but I'm almost certain they would be telling me to back out and cut my losses at this point if I could even talk to them. But I'm not entirely certain, and since they hold the power to let me back into society by exonerating me, I have to do their original mission just to be sure I don't lose them.

"Look at me. I'm despicable, going on about how I need to re-enter society and move on, as though my crimes aren't just getting worse and worse. How selfish can I be?"

Ruby threw her arms up in disgust, nearly hitting the plain black bird as it flew down from the sky to land inches away from Pickerel's head.

"I'm a killer, Mr. Pickerel. I killed my uncle and Ozpin and Winter and Hazel and those people just now, and I watched the deaths of so many others without doing a damned thing to stop it. I'm also a coward – I didn't know that Raven was the Spring maiden when I approached her. No, I only did that because I thought she might comfort me. I jeopardized everything because I wanted a lifeline. And speaking of jeopardizing everything, that brings me to my last point – I'm a hypocrite! What right do I have to choose to save you, only to go back and destroy an entire village in the name of keeping my true motives hidden from Salem? How is it fair?"

The unconscious huntsman had no answer.

"I'll tell you how fair that is – it's not fair at all! I was a baby who couldn't bring herself to listen to you dying, and then I was an even bigger baby by not choosing to stand up to Watts and Uncle Qrow when they told me to burn those people. Oh Dust, they made me burn them all alive, and…no. No, they didn't do that. I did that. I did that when I chose to free you. I need to take responsibility for my choices, not hoist it onto specters or onlookers."

Ruby held Crescent Rose a little tighter to her chest. Despite having lost much of its comforting aura when it had been the firearm by which Qrow died, it now felt a lot more reassuring to touch. The innate wrongness stored within the blade felt…diminished, by comparison.

"I have to kill you, so that I never get ordered to burn down an entire village again. You'll get that when I…you'll understand when…"

Qrow laughed out loud. It wasn't a funny, happy chuckle but a rich laugh of someone who had just heard the stupidest thing in their l̶i̶f̶e̶ death and was now waiting for the person who said it to wise up to their own bullshit.

Ruby tried to ignore him.

She failed.

"No, you won't," she admitted. "Qrow's right; you won't understand why I need to do this. You won't understand why any person you meet, even if you don't tell them about Salem, will die. There's no purpose to telling you anything; I was just doing that so I could feel better about myself. It was a child's delusion – a desperate attempt to pretend that your death won't be as horrible if I spill my guts to you before I spill your guts."

She didn't need to tell him about anything. She didn't need him to understand why his death was necessary to prevent him from endangering others by his mere presence. She didn't need to wait until he woke up.

"It's not like it matters, in the long run. I'd just tell you and then kill you, and even if you did somehow magically understand everything I'm going through, that knowledge would just fade away when you die."

With no regard for the huntsman's safety, Qrow began to peck at his face. If he wasn't careful, he could put one of the man's eyes out.

…but that wouldn't matter, either. He would be blinded for his short time left on Remnant, and then he would die. Just as it didn't matter if he received a grand revelation about Ruby's all-encompassing mission before his death, it didn't matter if he received more pain. Ruby could do this as slow as she wanted to, if she had such a desire. Cut his limbs, empty his eye sockets, wrap his veins around his body in a coat…

He'd just be dead at the end of it. It's no better or worse.

"I should've just let Tyrian torture you to death. Why did you have to scream? Why did you have to…"

She was wasting time. Watts was waiting for her.

"Don't fret, kiddo," Qrow said, leaving the body and hopping over to Ruby. "If there's one thing I know, it's that a –"

"SHUT UP!"

Ruby kicked Qrow right in his stupid face, breaking the tiny bird's body in a single kick. With the damage her foot had inflicted upon him, he wasn't going to be flying anytime soon.

Qrow limply tried to pick himself up, but his legs were disfigured and bent at odd angles. "Ruby! Ruby, no, wai–"

Crescent Rose cut Qrow's head clean off. Much like the Beringel, he simply ceased to exist.

Pickerel.

She couldn't forget what she came here for.

He was supposed to die at Tyrian's hands, but Ruby had saved him. Now, he was about to die just the same, and the only difference that her choice to free him from the torture had made was burning up an entire village. Helping him had been an act of evil. He needed to die before he could endanger anyone else.

Ruby took three steps towards the unconscious huntsman, stopped, and swiftly beheaded him.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Return

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #439 – Run out of free space on your computer? Not my fucking problem. Drink the bleach from last chapter.

Ruby's Tip #222 – Killing ants with a magnifying glass? Try killing yourself instead, you little shit.

Ruby's Tip #119 – Having trouble finding a new stamp for your stamp collection? Try asking a friend to stamp your throat with their boot if you're that much of a loser that you consider that a problem.

Chapter Text

Salem, now fully recovered from the injuries she'd sustained during Hazel's rebellion, greeted Ruby warmly upon her return to Evernight. Ruby knew why; Watts had phoned ahead and explained the gruesome details of how she'd tossed Fell Pickerel's head into his lap upon reboarding the airship. To know that Ruby had not only murdered a good man in cold blood but also mutilated him as a trophy for her queen must've raised her spirits as much as it drove Ruby's down.

Evernight was still unlivable, as Salem had only just regained her unbreakable control over the Grimm in the days Ruby and Watts had taken to hunt the hunter, but repairs were underway. It mattered little; all Evernight had ever been was a base of operations to return to in between missions. Until it was back up and running, the minions would just be sent by Salem on back to back missions.

"Dr. Watts, I would like for you to probe the defenses around the Winter maiden. If she truly is in Atlas, find her, and find what resistance is to be expected when Miss Rose eventually comes face to face with her. We've heard nothing of a new or old Winter in decades, and I fear this implies a veteran host."

Watts nodded obediently.

"Tyrian, go to Shade. Young Ruby has the power of the Summer maiden, but unlike the other kingdoms, we have no 'in' for Vacuo. Bring about carnage and weaken the academy as greatly as possible, but do not risk your own reveal. I trust your combat discretion."

He, too, nodded. The scorpion tail on his back began to wag like a dog.

"Ruby, I will be sending you to the White Fang once again. Though Adam has fallen, I intend to fully repay my debt to his surviving comrades in arms. Provide them the aid they need, and see if a new contract between us can be negotiated. Their aid may prove useful, especially when spreading fear among humans is concerned."

Ruby didn't nod, but Salem didn't seem to notice.

"Each of you shall take a Seer with you. This way, I may provide you new orders without the need for you to return to this sundered castle." The Grimm in question floated their way as Salem waved a hand. "Report back to me at regular intervals."

"Did it hurt?" Ruby asked all of a sudden.

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at her. Even Salem didn't seem sure what to make of her unexpected question. Partial silence was the only sound within the castle for a moment, broken up only by the occasional clatter of a Beowolf hauling solid rocks into position or a Seer carefully adjusting them.

"Hurt?" asked Salem.

"Hazel. He tore you in half. You say you're still a human at the core, but you didn't react. Did it hurt you to be injured?"

Ruby looked up at the Grimm woman with curious eyes, careful to mask any emotion that might give something of value away.

Salem looked away, towards the open wall where a picturesque view of the Grimmlands in its entirety was visible. "Pain is something I've learned to control over the many long years. While I once sought to avoid it like a craven, I eventually realized it was inevitable and embraced it. But, to answer your question, yes. I still feel everything. It did hurt."

Ruby nodded once, curtly.

"Why do you ask?" Salem inquired.

"Oh, no reason. I guess, you mentioned the whole debt to the White Fang thing, and it reminded me about you saying you're still human at your core. I just got curious. It's no big deal or anything."

Salem clearly wasn't buying that, but Ruby was already making her way towards her designated airship with a Seer in tow. The White Fang awaited.

Winter had been stabbed in the chest with a scythe.

The people of Hibernance were burned alive.

Pickerel the huntsman was decapitated.

Just three for now. It's not much, but it's a start. I'm sure I'll kill more people along the way and find out new ways as I go. Salem may not feel pain right now, but the list will get longer and longer, and by the time my mission is over, I'm sure I'll eventually have something on it that can make her cry.

The last time, Ruby was sent to Atlas to join a ragtag band of mercenary-style fighters representing a fraction of the White Fang's full strength.

This time, she was sent to meet them at the mightiest source of their power at the island of Menagerie, the supreme fortress from which they ruled.

It ended up being just as lame, to be honest.

They didn't have anyone waiting for her at the beach when she arrived, having left the Seer at the airship when she parked it in Mistral to take a ferry the rest of the way. Menagerie didn't have an airport, making the extra steps a burdensome necessity. Still, Ruby had no idea if the White Fang was expecting her or not, and it was actually quite possible that they hadn't even been notified she was coming. After all, it wasn't like Salem was just going to send them a text message or something. Tyrian spoke in tongues that only the crazy understood, and Watts was racist. Well, Ruby didn't know if he was, but he seemed like the kind of person who was.

Anyway, the point was, enough if Ruby wasn't expected, it was an outright mistake of them to not be aware of the presence of an armed agent of a potentially hostile enemy force on their own island. Sure, Ruby wasn't hostile, but the White Fang obviously didn't know that if they hadn't reacted to her arrival.

Ruby got a good view of city as she walked to the military base's location, and it was just crawling with White Fang grunts that didn't want to be alive. None of them were watching their backs, several of them were walking alone through the streets, and some of them weren't even carrying weapons. Just for giggles, Ruby had retreated into an alleyway at one point, shifted Crescent Rose into a sniper, and lasered four or five of them as she walked just to see if they would notice her. Not one of them did.

The White Fang were civilians here, then. Ruby supposed that would be a good thing, as it was more likely that she wasn't going to be assigned some crapsack mission like last time with an idiot out of his league like Adam in charge.

Seriously, why didn't we just blow up the tracks? Why did we sabotage a hundred trains when that would've done the job just as easily? Or poison the food when we had access to it?

It was because Adam was a manchild who wanted to have the visceral joy of using his sword to tear things and sometimes people apart. It was a feeling Ruby had last experienced when she'd fought her way down the hill of Beacon after everything went wrong, when her opponents were still just stupid mindless waves of Grimm.

The world's better off with Adam dead. I almost regret that I didn't kill him myself, if only to add another method to my list of ways to hurt Salem.

Forcing herself to sigh, Ruby shook her head. She needed to be careful.

Rescuing that huntsman had been the start of a downward spiral that still threatened to swallow her whole. Never before had she felt such dreadful negative thoughts, and it was nothing like the petty anger or rage that she'd felt in her childhood over silly things like a lost videogame or a scuff on her favorite pair of boots. This grim feeling of hopelessness was the kind of quagmire that could make her lose all perspective on what was right and what was wrong, and her own self-control was the only thing keeping her from devolving into some empty shell of a human.

She'd been at the worst of it when she'd killed Pickerel himself, nearly believing the nonsense she'd been using to justify her own cold actions, but with him gone and that entire affair in the rear-view mirror, things were coming back into perspective. The world wasn't devoid of warmth, and Ruby didn't need to dispassionately make decisions by counting lives on an abacus. People's joy, suffering, pain, and love of the life they lived mattered too.

Rescuing Pickerel that first time around may have been a mistake – no, it was a mistake – and it may have amounted in his death just the same, but his life had mattered. Providing him those few extra days of freedom had mattered. He'd probably felt a rush of joy at being freed from torture at the claws of a madfaunus, relief that a young huntress cared enough to save him from the castle of pure evil rather than leave him to rot, and pride in his final moments. He'd died thinking that his debt to Ruby was repaid, and that mattered.

It's horrible to think, but I'm glad he died not knowing it was me who did it. His last memory on Remnant was knocking a Beringel off of a struggling young huntress, and then he got knocked out with that taste of victory still on his tongue.

She shouldn't have saved him, but that didn't mean it was all pointless. Ruby was not going to fall into that abyss.

I won't let Salem win. I…I'm hurting, and it's only going to hurt more the more people I have to kill, but I won't let her make me lose myself. I don't like killing, and I'm still going to try to minimize it while I complete my mission.

She'd fallen off her horse after Hibernance, briefly believing that saving the most lives was all that mattered, even if that meant condemning those who were deemed unsalvageable to horrifying pain and suffering. She'd lost herself and done a horrible thing, and she would never get to take that back, but she refused to give up on herself or on humanity. Her soul was stained with blood that would never wash off, but compounding tragedy with even more tragedy would only make it worse.

Ruby was going to do her best to move on and to forgive herself.

It feels wrong, to forgive myself when the dead wouldn't choose to forgive me for killing them, but I can't let hate or self-hate turn me into a cold person. I need to keep hold of my compassion and treasure it like it's solid gold, because it's all I have left.

No more doing edgy, dark shit like scoping the White Fang from alleyways or pretending to be dismissive of them because they weren't all trained killers or making a list of ways to take out her own guilt over killing people on Salem. Well, maybe she would make Salem pay a little bit when this all ended, but only because she was an evil witch that threatened all of Remnant and needed to be stopped. The point was, Ruby was going to get through this.

Or at least, she wasn't going to stop trying.

The High Leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan, was apparently too busy to meet with Ruby, so she delegated the task to her subordinates, Corsac and Fennec Albain. They, too, were preoccupied at the time, so the job was sent to one link down the chain of command to a Faunus named Bane. Ruby would give you one guess if he had plans at the time.

In the end, it wasn't an officer that met with her but the local squad leader of the strike force they'd decided they wanted her on. Ruby's fake spider arm was now back in effect, giving her the appearance of a spider Faunus just like last time.

"The soldiers from your last mission speak highly of you," said Captain Cassius, her point of contact. "Well, they spoke highly of you. Most of them are dead from other assignments, but I trusted those who vouched for you with my life back when they still had their own."

Ruby wanted to ask about Ilia and if she was one of the 'most,' but she held her tongue. Ilia had been talking about leaving the White Fang at the time, so Ruby would just have to trust that she managed to get out. As for Trifa, the only other Fang whose name wasn't just a hazy blur in Ruby's memories, Ruby was basically sure that she was dead. That woman had been on a quest for martyrdom, and this organization was one that lent itself well towards the completion of those.

Cassius, the Faunus in charge who had rabbit paws for feet as his trait, gestured to the rest of Ruby's new temporary squad that filled the small room they'd been assigned to. Not one of them looked a day older than thirty. Their traits were all equally prominent, ranging from moose antlers to an entirely animalistic face that had a bird's beak and eyes.

"These are Venne, Hyacinth, Cory, and Richu," Cassius declared, his hands proudly resting on his hips. "None of us have our aura unlocked, but we guaran-damn-tee you that we'll fight like huntsmen."

Richu coughed.

"…and huntresses," Cassius amended. "Now then. How about you tell us about yourself, Rose?"

She nodded. "Ruby Rose. I work for my queen, Lady Salem. I was a huntress, but now I fight like…something more."

There was a momentary pause, during which Ruby realized that he'd been expecting something more, but the captain's professionalism was enough to catch on that she wasn't going to be sharing much more than that.

"Excellent. I hope the legends are true."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Legends?"

"A-About you and Adam."

"Heh." Ruby couldn't suppress her little laugh fast enough. "And pray tell, what legends of me are there?"

"Well, it was said that you and he charged headfirst into a trap set by the Atlesian military only to turn it against them, slay all their specialists, and use their own explosives to destroy their hardware. It was said that you two rode together into combat like you'd fought together for a thousand years."

Huh. I wasn't expecting the legends to basically be true, albeit exaggerated. We did trip their ambush, and he did win the fight that came next with my help.

"And that you rode him like you'd lain together for twenty years," added the birdfaced Faunus, elbowing the soldier next to him. Ruby wasn't sure if he was Hyacinth or the guy he elbowed was; Cassius hadn't been clear when pointing them out.

"Okay," said Cassius. "I think we've had enough of that. This is a visiting dignitary from our greatest and most respected ally, and we'll be sure to treat her as such." He cleared his throat. "Regardless of her relationship with Adam, Gods rest his soul."

The Faunus' eyes all dropped down, as did Ruby's IQ for having been in their proximity. These men and women were behaving like a rowdy bunch of children, not like the hardened strike force she'd expected after her time in Atlas. Ruby supposed that it made sense; Adam wasn't here to whip them into shape, and the comforts of home weren't going to do so in his place.

"So, what're the six of us going to be doing together?" she asked the captain. "Somethin' local? Patrolling the island?"

"Nope," he said. "We're going to be heading over to Mistral. Those SDC bastards are going to be putting down foundations for a new refinery not two hundred miles from Menagerie, and we're going to be sending them a clear message: go away!"

The five Faunus cheered, and Ruby did her best to do the same after another momentary pause. They were going back to Mistral…after she'd taken a ferry from the mainland over to the island of Menagerie to come and meet them.

Deep breaths, Ruby. Deep breaths.

Riding a quaint little boat from kingdom to kingdom was fun and all the first time around if only for the novelty of it, but the novelty was gone the second time. Ruby almost wished there would be a sea monster or something breaching through the serene surface of the ocean if only to break up the monotony. Sadly, it was not to be; Salem had given the Grimm in the waters orders to take a day or two off, knowing Ruby would have to pass through the channel.

"…be our first mission with the White Fang, but it sure as shit is going to also be our first success!"

Ruby smiled at the silly little Faunus. He clearly had no idea how these things went. None of them did.

I'm going to have to do everything on this mission and also keep them safe. This time, though, I won't have an attack dog Bull Faunus to set upon my enemies.

It wasn't all bad news, though. Atlas itself was the pinnacle of military discipline, whereas the SDC was known only for throwing its vast pool of resources at the problem. In a world where Ruby could avoid bullets with her semblance and tank the stray shots that hit her, quality was more of a threat than quantity.

The worst case scenario –

Don't tempt fate.

A bad scenario would be if the White Fang jumped out into the thickest bits of the fight to seek glory despite lacking aura, but hopefully her status as a folk hero of some sort would be enough to persuade them to at least let her go in front. It was getting closer to dusk, and there was little likelihood any sunlight would remain by the time they landed; perhaps Ruby could get a head-start by beetlewalking around the SDC construction sites.

Cassius was still going, and his prodding of Ruby's arm broke her out of her thoughts. His face was bright, though, so she just responded with an affirmative cheer to satisfy him. Although he and his people were all older than Ruby, it was impossible for her to look at his face and not see an exuberant child.

It was almost funny. Back when she'd been an equally naïve wain herself, the White Fang had seemed like the greatest threat to the world, one she'd hated with all the hate her little heart could muster. Now, they just felt like…people.

I suppose that tends to happen when I spend all my time with real monsters.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Broken Ground

And now, some tips from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #808 – The best way to shuffle a deck of cards is to just buy a new one.

Ruby's Tip #746 – Is your storebought pizza too oily to enjoy? Scrub off the oil with soap and a sponge before eating.

Chapter Text

Her instincts had proven right, and the White Fang squad had chosen to break for a full night of rest before moving forward with their task of sabotaging the Schnee Dust Company's construction sites. It was fortunate that they did, for it gave Ruby a full night to beetlewalk over to the sites in question and get an early look at them.

To prevent any risk of not being able to find her body like last time, Ruby excused herself from the Faunus before leaving their company.

"I just like to sleep alone," she'd lied. "It's a, uh, coping mechanism I have ever since Adam died. A-And, you know, he wasn't there to warm my bed anymore."

The Faunus had nodded somberly, evidently unwilling to insult the memory of their martyred saint by questioning his 'widow's' flagrant bullshit excuses.

"We'll wait for you in the morning," he said. "The plan is to meet at 0800 hours sharp for some long-distance recon using the gear Bane gave us." He looked over at a crate that Venne had been carrying on the ship. "See you then?"

Ruby nodded and wandered off in search of a good hiding spot for her human body.

Wow. They get up at 8am, when the sun's already risen and the bulk of the construction crews will be awake and working. In Atlas, we were on the clock basically 24/7. I'm starting to wonder if the White Fang gave me new bloods with the intention of both me and them dying on a wild goose Faunus chase.

Hey, it was all good. The fact that these Faunus were adopting a soft and inexperienced stance on how to go about this wasn't a bad thing for her. All Ruby was supposed to do was help them to pay off Salem's debts (which the higher leadership had apparently already forgotten). Whether or not the mine and refinery encampment was destroyed in a timely fashion didn't matter in the slightest to Ruby. She could just call this a vacation and walk at a leisurely pace the whole way through.

Ruby, as Grubbie, gave her body one last once over in the hole she'd dug out. In the end, there had been no safe enough place to deposit her empty body without incurring some risk of it being come across, so she'd abandoned trying to randomly stumble upon the perfect hiding spot and had just made her own. It took an extra hour that she wasn't going to beetlewalk for, but it was a more surefire guarantee of her safety. More effort meant more reward, as long as Ruby was willing to invest the time.

The captain of the squad had handed her their maps just briefly to hold onto while he spoke to the captain of the ferry they'd rode, and Ruby had taken that moment to memorize the locations of the SDC locations and the surrounding terrain. This was nowhere near where she'd parked her airship, and she needed every bit of foreknowledge she could get her hands on.

Claws on, now, I suppose.

Ruby wondered if Grubbie was also in her Scarab head when she beetlewalked, if he disappeared from existence, or if he took over her human body while it slept. Maybe he truly didn't have a mind…maybe there were no thoughts inside his head, and Ruby's presence filled it with entirely new consciousness.

The SDC had already broken ground and finished setting up the foundations of their future mining site. It had a hastily thrown up barrack for the construction workers that was already complete, but every other building – crew quarters, mess hall, mine entrance, industry-grade drills, multi-stage onsite refinery – was still only partially formed. Some were little more than metal and wooden frameworks stuck into the ground in cement holes, while others appeared to be close enough to completion that it might take less than a week.

A fire will be enough to take out much of the utilities and personal living spaces, but the heavy equipment won't burn. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that at least one member of the White Fang thought to pack charges, so we can plant those at the key locations to bring it down. That would be the base, the engines…

You know, it's kind of creepy that I know all this.

If worse came to worst, Ruby could use her maiden powers, but she would prefer to avoid that. Every time she used them in the real world, it came with a risk that someone would see it and call it in. That knowledge, the knowledge of her possessing them, could in theory trickle down to someone who might not know how to properly interpret it, like any member of Ozpin's group who didn't know Ruby was on their side. Killing them would silence such rumors and close the leaks, but that would make her no better than Raven (a purely ethical distinction that was becoming more and more important as Ruby's body count grew).

After she'd made herself familiar with the layout of the site, its weakest points, its best evac sites, and its idea locations for cover in the event a firefight broke out, Ruby moved on to inspecting the quality of the guards that they had. Given her small size, Ruby was able to crawl up the lookout towers and right under their noses without being seen – if anyone caught a glimpse of her, they would obviously assume her a bug, or perhaps even a flickering trick of the light.

At the moment, it was the night shift, so there was only a skeleton crew keeping lookout. Their jobs were clearly to raise the alarm in the event of an invasion, for there was no way that the few men and women would be able to fight off any monster that came creeping in the night.

And that's me.

Ruby counted two active huntresses in the night shift patrol – older women, probably in their forties. They seemed the sharpest, actually keeping their eyes on the forests rather than conversing amongst one another or falling asleep at their post. There were four SDC operatives who were off in dream land, and between them and her own newbie White Fang team, Ruby was starting to wonder if every civilian was truly a closet incompetent at heart.

Many more guards were slumbering peacefully in the same barracks as the construction workers and suited businesspeople, and Ruby fully expected to see those men during the day, awake and active. Strangely, she saw no sleeping hunters.

I guess it's just the two. Huntresses are probably more safety conscious than the others, and I'd bet they can't sleep knowing that an enemy ambush could pop up at any time. I certainly wouldn't. This isn't a village, so there's no walls to protect them. If they let their guard down and relied on the few lax normie guards who are awake right now to keep them safe, they'd be risking everything – their lives, the others' lives, and all the construction work.

If their entire huntress detail was awake at night, they probably slept during the day, when the larger body of guards was awake and could reasonably be counted on to protect them all from Grimm or White Fang.

We could strike when the huntresses are asleep, but that would mean there are more eyes watching. No, it would be best to go in at night. If I could ambush and knock out the two women, there would be no other real resistance. The White Fang could plant the explosives, and I could start a couple of fires using my maiden powers just before we leave. The plant goes down, no one needs to die, and my objective is complete.

With her plan in mind, Ruby began to scuttle back to her body. The whole excursion had taken her just until sunrise, meaning that she had a few hours before the White Fang awoke.

Ruby had decided that she would let them do their own reconnaissance during the day and come to the same conclusions as her. She could mention her beetlewalking, but that would be the same as revealing Salem's existence, so any knowledge found then was essentially a secret. Calling it semblance like astral projection during sleep would work, but Ruby wanted to keep her 'semblance' hidden in case she used her maiden powers. It would be so much easier to explain spontaneous flame powers if she did.

There, Ruby though, looking down on her sleeping form in the hole she'd dug out. Time to wake up.

Hmmm…actually, she had a few hours, and she could already feel her thoughts straying from having beetlewalked the entire night. That whole thing where she became a lot like a Grimm in terms of her thought processes was closing in, meaning that Ruby was on the verge of gaining perfect memory and enhanced logical deduction. It came at the cost of her human emotions, but she was right next to body. Last time, she'd been on the verge of losing herself only because Hazel had taken her away.

If she stayed close and just went back into her own arm when she started to go crazy, she could probably squeeze a little bit more out of her beetlewalking.

If I think about something, my memory forms complex chains of thoughts, and I figure things out 10 times faster and with 100% efficiency. I can deduce anything…I can deduce why…why...

…why Salem wanted her. Why Salem was obsessed with those silver eyes.

It was a problem Ruby had thought about over and over but couldn't solve. Salem saw Ruby as Ozpin's prized pupil despite their being no evidence of that, and it had something to do with the color of her pupils. If Ruby could figure this out, if she could finally get closer…

The risks would be worth it.

Okay. At the first sign of me losing touch with my compassion or empathy, I crawl right into my own arm.

Her thorax bristled.

It's go time.

It wasn't as though she actively 'did' anything. All Ruby had to do was just stay out longer than a full night, and she would gradually start to get more and more like a Grimm as her human mind hardwired itself into Grubbie's Grimm thought processes.

She didn't feel it begin at any certain time, but when the sun was fully risen, Ruby was already starting to get stray thoughts and random images from her younger day popping up randomly in her brain.

And so it began.

Okay. Silver eyes. I just need to think about silver eyes, and my head will do the rest.

Silver eyes. Ruby had been able to remember that her silver eyes had done something to Salem last time. It had been when the queen was having a temper tantrum over Ruby bringing up the Brother Gods in casual conversation, who apparently Salem was bitter about over –

Salem had brought up the Gods when she'd tortured Ruby. The painful memory shot to the forefront of Ruby's head, dragged up by its relation to what she was thinking about now. That was how Grimm thought worked; it pulled related memories out of the corners of Ruby's brain when something her current stream of consciousness contained bore similarity to them.

The Brother Gods and their creation myth was off topic – Ruby wanted to know about her silver eyes. Sadly, she couldn't control her Grimm mind other than gently nudging it, so she was forced to let the thoughts progress naturally. That included an unfortunate religious folklore tangent that Ruby did her best to ignore.

Back to the important stuff, though, she was going somewhere: Ruby remembered something about silver eyes that was probably essential. Back when Ozpin first met her in that police station after she'd tried to bust Roman Torchwick and only succeeded in stopping him from getting away with his ill-gotten goods, he'd specifically mentioned her silver eyes. It was such a small observation that she had essentially forgotten about it entirely, chalking the exchange down to the headmaster wanting to sound like an eccentric and zany teacher, but it now felt a lot more important. That was good; already, she was making tangible progress.

It was all about Ruby's eyes. Something about their color or their special power was drawing in the attention of every key figure in this dark, underside of the world where both the heroes and villains operated out of the shadows. Ruby needed to figure out what was so special about silver eyes.

The meeting at the police station reminded Ruby's half-Grimm brain about a protest from the White Fang that she'd seen on TV, a time she'd seen a girl with similar white hair to Ozpin in Signal's library, and a visit to the optometrists she'd had as a kid. The last one had shown up the last time Ruby had beetlewalked for too long, which was encouraging, as she hadn't been able to extract all of the useful information out of it before going back into her own arm. Maybe this time, Ruby might be able to finish her train of thought.

The sun was now steadily on the rise, but Ruby couldn't get distracted and end up on a tangent about the solar system by thinking about it. Focusing everything she had on her eyes, Ozpin, and Salem, she tried her best to remember.

C'mon, Ruby, c'mon! The answer has to be in there. It's just up to me and Grubbie to deduce it.

Now she was thinking about the hound, for some reason, and it felt really, really important. Ruby wasn't sure what it had to do with anything, but it had somehow been connected to her eyes, so she let the memories wash over her eagerly.

The first time I saw it, where I nearly tripped over myself when it talked after I tried to feed it.

The sight of the hound tearing the arm off of the Summer maiden, saving me from imminent death and ensuring my seizure of her powers.

The Summer maiden's lake, glistening in the sun.

Eating fruit salad.

The hound, slaughtering villagers at Ovais with Tyrian, and Salem declaring Ruby's first real mission a victory.

Getting punched in the tummy by Yang's ex-girlfriend but not feeling it because I had aura and she didn't.

Mom tapping me on the nose as a newborn, saying how those cute little eyes of mine were like looking in a beautiful, baby-shaped mirror.

Wasting expensive Gravity Dust rounds at the gun range without realizing the target paper wasn't properly secured until I'd already shot fifty.

That…That wasn't…

Ugh, I've lost it.

Ruby noticed that she'd already begun to inadvertently crawl out of the hole and decided that enough was enough. There was nothing to be gained from going through old memories of overly sugary raspberries and Yang pummeling her ex to avenge Ruby's honor. All of the potentially useful ones of the hound were far too graphic to look back on with anything but disgust anyways.

Moving herself to the top of her hand, Ruby crawled into her own flesh. It might've sounded odd, but Grubbie's innate Scarab instincts took over at that point, and Ruby's own eyes usually automatically closed (not that she would want them to be open, mind you). There was nothing left to be gained from going through memories, and the sooner she got up, the sooner she would shake off her beetlewalking stupor and be ready to work with the White Fang.

The memories were beginning to get blurrier and blurrier as Ruby's mind switched back into human mode, with its non-photographic memory. Maybe in the future, when she had more time on her hands and fewer pressing commitments in the real world, she could go back in and figure out the rest of the secrets about her silver eyes, which now somehow included the hound.

Ruby opened her human eyes and stretched out her arms, snapping her neck once in both directions to shake off the discomfort that came with sleeping in a hastily dug out dirt hole. She'd had the foresight to lay down a blanket, so at least there wasn't soil all over her –

"You're smart enough to know that my protectiveness over you was not out of some misplaced maternal…huh, maternal desire to safeguard you."

That…

Something.

That was something. Something important, that was.

It was the final memory her mind dug up for her on the topic of silver eyes, coming from a few minutes after she'd just finished beetlewalking the first time. Hazel had been freshly tortured at Salem's hands over presumably letting Ruby be injured while under his care, and Salem had exploded at him like there was no tomorrow.

As she'd clarified, it wasn't out of human compassion (like pain, Ruby figured that Salem had learned ways to overcome that 'weakness' over the years), but something about the phrasing was enough to tip off Ruby to more going on there. The point wasn't what had happened or why – the event didn't even matter. It was the way Salem had just laughed in the middle of it, without there being a joke. Not even a full laugh, really, just a chuckle. A half chuckle. The kind of thing you might do when you watched a funny video of a cat faceplanting on RemnTube or Remnstagram – no serious humor, but it made your nose exhale.

She'd found something mildly amusing.

About not wanting to save me? No, that's not it.

Torturing Hazel? She went and apologized for that right after.

What did Salem laugh about?

She was a human once more, and so her beetlewalking superlogic was gone, but that didn't mean she'd lost her capacity for solving mysteries. Ruby could figure this out if she thought hard enough.

She laughed and repeated the word maternal.

She found that funny? The word 'maternal?'

Did Salem, like, see Ruby as a daughter or something? No, the joke was that she didn't…she'd literally just said as much.

Maternal.

Maternal?

Maternal...

It wasn't about Ruby.

It wasn't about Salem.

Ruby felt like throwing up in her mouth.

The joke was about Summer.

Silver eyes could release violent blasts of some special power that hadn't affected Tyrian despite him being right next to Salem when Ruby had used them. It didn't work on humans, but it did affect Grimm. And if Grimm were destroyed by it, then Ozpin would…

Ozpin had approached her for…

Mom said that…and Salem laughed about…

So many things clicked into place, too many to count at once. Ruby could barely keep up. All of the evidence had been stacked into a neat little building-block castle by Grubbie, and Ruby just needed to back up enough to see it for its full grandeur.

Silver eyes were some kind of anti-Grimm weapon. That much Ruby knew. Thus, Ozpin's great interest in Ruby, the one Salem was aware of, was because she was going to be his next enforcer, or his next henchwoman, or whatever Qrow had been. He was the leader of a war against the Grimm queen, and he had approached her not because of her talents or her uncle – it was because she was Summer's daughter.

It truly was a case of despotism, despite what Miss Goodwitch said.

Summer had silver eyes too. Qrow worked for Ozpin, and she had too. She had been his most recent weapon against the Grimm until mysteriously dying.

Dying to Salem, that was.

It has to be. That's the only thing that makes sense.

And now, Salem was trying to rub it in. That was her interest in Ruby, the reason she saw it as the ultimate victory against Ozpin. Summer Rose herself had devoted and even laid down her life to fighting Salem on Ozpin's orders, and Salem wanted to take her daughter and switch those roles. Salem didn't have a clue that Ruby was a spy or that she was working for the enemy; she just wanted Ozpin to be defeated by his old ally's child.

She couldn't tell Ruby that, obviously, because even Salem wasn't stupid enough to admit to killing her newest sidekick's mother, but she seemed confident enough to smirk at her own little inside joke when mentioning it. Salem hadn't saved Ruby out of maternal desires to protect her.

Silver eyes – Salem wanted to destroy them, but more than that she wanted to turn Ozpin's most valued enforcers upon him as a way to twist the knife. That was why she'd made the hound. It was a powerful Grimm, an intelligent Grimm, to be certain, but not one that truly was necessary. Salem had needed to build it from the ground up, train its mind, and send it out into the world. All that work for a slightly special Beowolf…Dust, even a single Beringel was probably more of a threat than the hound, and it would never measure up to something like a Leviathan or Wyvern.

"I had such high hopes for my hound. Well, I suppose it's for the best. The template on which such things are made can be hard to come by, what with you being the very last I've seen in years."

A Grimm that spoke like a human, Ruby being the 'very last' of the hound's template that was hard to come by, Salem investing so much effort into making a single Grimm and then developing plans to use it to replace human minions…one that responded to her as instinctively as its own Grimm queen…

She wasn't sure how, and she wasn't sure who, but the hound had to be somehow built from silver eyes. Salem wanted her victory to come from a silver-eyed warrior, so her early plan had been to turn them into monsters. That, however, made the warriors unwilling, but it was the best Salem could do – until Ruby.

Now, she had a willing silver-eyed minion, one who chose to betray Ozpin and serve her. That would make her victory all the more sweet.

I'd be unwittingly aiding the woman who murdered my own mother, if she had it her way.

It would be okay, though. Ruby was going to turn it all around on its head. Salem, Ozpin – neither of them would be getting their way from Ruby, except for Ozpin.

The powers of the maidens were going to be hers. Once they combined into one person, they would be together in a single host who would transfer it to a single host, and so on, and so on, forever. Ruby would hold the powers safely in her palms and eventually choose someone worthy, someone who would make a good choice when it was her turn to pass the maiden powers on. Salem wouldn't even get a whiff of these relics she so desperately wanted.

"Ruby?" called someone from the White Fang, evidently forgetting they were terrorists trying to hide from the law. "Where are you? It's 8:10am, and…er, 8100 hours, and we're ready to get started."

"Over here," Ruby said calmly. "And I'm ready too."

Coming Soon – Ruby's Refinery

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #922 – Save on dishwasher detergent by filling your pants pockets with forks and knives before running the laundry.

Chapter Text

Author's Notes

I did it, Rat's Nest.  I finally did it.

No.  No, that's not right.

WE did it.

Link: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/OriginStoryRWBY

I can't tell you how happy I am to have finally made it.  In all seriousness, thanks to Spacedragon1999 and wootzits for putting this together behind my back (over a month ago, as it happens).  I always dreamt of the day I could have my TV Tropes page, and it's so great to finally be here.

Oh, and also the mods on r/FNKI are literally authoritarian dictators for blocking the above meme for some reason.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!

It felt like such a major realization should have changed her life, but it surprisingly had little effect on it. Ruby was a double agent, so learning that Salem had killed Summer Rose didn't make her want to stop working for the Grimm at all. Ruby's own plans to backstab Salem and ensure her entire Grimm empire fell apart were still in place, unchanged by her epiphany. But hey, at least she didn't need to worry about Salem knowing the truth anymore.

I ought to start practicing with my silver eyes. When the time comes for me to turn against Salem, I'm going to need every tool in my arsenal to destroy her and her forces. Having a weapon that somehow nullifies Grimm in my back pocket would come in handy.

On the immediate term, Ruby was still working with these White Fang kids, and her strategies for them were unchanged. The squadron of six were all spaced out in a wide hexagon around the base, with each of them observing the SDC construction from a distance. Ruby already knew exactly what kinds of forces the enemies had and where the best points to strike would be, but without a way to explain that to the White Fang, she had no other option but to pretend to learn it all again, this time with them watching.

"I think I count eight…n-no, ten hunters," said Richu through their radio. "No way to pos-ID."

"What makes you think they're hunters?" Ruby asked. "Did they use aura or semblances?"

"No, but their guns look a bit longer than the others. That means they're huntsman weapons, right?"

Ruby looked through her own long range binoculars, stolen from the Atlesian military and repurposed by its enemy. "Describe the guns to me."

"W-Well, they're longer and, uh, all gray." Every SDC gun was gray, so that didn't really help Ruby all that much. "I don't really know much about guns, ma'am."

Every lookout tower was manned by three guards – non-hunter, of course – packing some heavier artillery. If Ruby had to guess, Richu had seen them and mistaken it in her inexperience.

"Do they have an indent at the base of the stock?" she asked.

"What's a stock?"

Ruby had to bite back both dismay at such incompetence and anger from her weapon's nerd side at the ignorance the Faunus was displaying. "The back of the gun. The part that rests on or under the shoulder when fired to counter the rec…look, does it have a notch removed from the back or not?"

"On the top? Cuz, there isn't one on the bottom, Rose."

It could only be on the top. Ruby let out a sigh of relief as Richu confirmed her suspicions – it wasn't a secret stache of hunters at all.

"It's just their submachine guns. Some of the normal guards have them. Three at each tower, as it is."

"Oh yeah," Richu said. "There's three here, too."

"And three at mine," said Cassius. "I was thinking of calling it in before you'd explained it, but now that you've cleared it up for us, Rose…well, I guess it saves us all the time it would've taken to discount them as huntsmen."

The amount of time he'd just wasted on comms with that little speech was significantly more than if he'd just shut his trap, but Ruby declined to comment. You couldn't fix stupid.

I don't want to say that Roman was right about the Faunus, but he was certainly right about the White Fang. The only sane member of their entire group quit it as soon as she could.

"Did everyone get what they need?" Ruby asked to the entire group. She'd given them all a chance to get a good look at the opposition, knowing that if she got separated from the rest of them, it would be imperative that they know what they were doing. She would obviously carry the team when the fighting started…scratch that, when anything started, but improvisation might come in handy. And hey, maybe they would get some good practice on fieldwork out of this.

Hmmm…do I even want that? This is so far away from Salem that I doubt she'd care about Idiot Squadron having real-world experience, and the White Fang is my enemy, my real enemy. Maybe I shouldn't bother.

She shouldn't, but she would anyways. The terror that these five Faunus could wreak was minimal, and her mission with the four maidens was far more serious. If Ruby half-assed it or didn't do things as well as Salem knew she could, there was a chance it could expose her. After all, if Salem believed Ruby was a true anarchist and believer in the cause, she would expect Ruby to want the White Fang to be stronger.

"I'm good."

"Me too."

"Clear. Over."

"I think we should stay a little longer, you guys. My gut is telling me that we're about to miss something big if we leave now. I can tell."

"Woah – is that your semblance? Over."

"I can't say for sure, but my bones are telling me pulling out is a mistake, and I've always listened to them before. Maybe it is my semblance; it's always felt like more than just hunches."

Ruby declined to point out that semblances came after unlocking aura, never before. Her own childhood had been cut drastically short (directly because of her own actions, but still), so there was no harm in letting these kids live out their own for a little bit longer.

"We strike at night, like a pack of wolves," said Cassius. Seriously, at some points, this guy made her guard jump right up, because he had to be secretly bad-ass or something. No one could say so many cringey lines in such a short time without it being a cover of some sort.

You know, I joke, but that's basically how I joined Salem's gang. Maybe I will keep an eye on these guys, just in case…

There wasn't much they could do to hurt her if they tried, what with her being a maiden and never dropping her aura, but it wouldn't hurt.

"Here's the plan," he said. "Bane loaded us up with some remote detonation charges that we can plant at the lookout towers when the shift changes. It'll be nighttime, meaning that we'll have the advantage over the humans in terms of vision. One of us makes a noise, I dunno, imitates a Grimm and flashes their mask or something, and we use that to draw out all the soldiers. Then – boom! The towers come down, right on top of the SDC bastards. The fires from the blast spreads out and burns any construction they've got to the ground, thus both killing every single one of the humans and simultaneously salting Remnant to stop any future attempts at making another mine."

The Faunus gathered around him nodded eagerly. One of them raised a fist in the air and held it there, and the others quickly mimicked her by doing the same. It might've been Richu – it was getting tough distinguishing them when they weren't speaking. The cadences of their voices were all quite unique, but the four soldiers were just so unexceptional that remembering them was nigh impossible.

"Good plan," Ruby said.

Cassius eagerly nodded, something like a vicious flavor of joy in his eyes.

"But can I add a few things?" she said.

The joy fled, but it wasn't replaced with hurt or arrogance or anything like that. He might've been upset that she didn't approve of everything, but at least he wasn't too proud to accept the help.

"I'd be honored," the man said, stepping aside.

Ruby didn't want to stand up (they were just sitting in a circle in a grove of trees far from the SDC site), but he'd sat down, and it would make things awkward if she didn't. Thus, Ruby rose.

"Fire will be good to take out the bulk of their structures, but some parts of the refinery and mine will be recoverable after that. It'd be better if you used the charges your man packed to take those out."

Cory raised a hand, and Ruby had a war flashback of her time in Signal. "But then what bring down the watchtowers if we do that?"

Ruby shrugged. "Nothing, I guess."

That did bring out some complaints, and from all five of the Faunus at once. The cacophony was too loud and uncoordinated to hear any one protest, but Ruby could gather the gist of it.

"…let the humans…with what they…"

"…half of the…is to…"

"…break their spirits so completely…"

"Guys," Ruby said calmly. She refused to shout when they were so close to the enemy. "Listen to me. It's not in our best interests or the Fang's best interests to fight."

Cassius, another complaint on the tip of his tongue, managed to rein it back and gestured for his squad to do the same.

"We'll hear you out, Recruit Rose, but the decision lies with me in the end. Please, convince me…if you can."

Ruby nodded. "First of all, bringing down the watchtowers isn't going to kill all of the guards instantly. It's not like we can control how they fall down, and it's not like all of the Schnee grunts are going to line up underneath them. If this comes to a fight, which your plan indubitably will, we're going to be outgunned and outma– outnumbered. They have more weapons and more experience using them. I'll be preoccupied with those huntresses we saw – remember them, the two of them? – so it'll be up to you to fight off all the normies. You think you can do that?"

Ruby looked at them and saw that they did. The prospect of doing it frightened them, but they were five freshmen who'd joined the White Fang fueled by piss and vinegar alone, and the concept of actually losing was impossible to them.

She'd been there once, back when she'd freed Pickerel. It seemed so easy; if you were good enough, skilled enough, witty enough, whatever you needed enough, you could triumph. The only problem was, the enemy was also good, skilled, witty, or whatever. They didn't just sit around waiting for you to have your character arc and outsmart them. They actively moved against you, in ways that you couldn't always predict.

This team didn't know that, and Ruby didn't have the time or the heart to break it to them. Thus, she opted for the easier way.

"Look, if you kill them, what've you got? A bunch of bodies and a destroyed campsite? There's no way for Jacques Schnee or whichever lackey of his does an investigation of the scene to tell that it wasn't just Grimm, or an explosive ignition in the mine itself. Even if you leave a calling card, they'll just assume it was an army of White Fang waging war with the SDC. But if you do it my way – sneak right under their noses in the dead of night like a phantom, never being seen until it's already too late and you've struck – these humans will piss themselves every time they go to sleep on another SDC construction sight. They'll be living reminders to spread your legends for years, no, decades to come. They'll bear witness to the truth that all it takes is a handful of determined Faunus, few enough to walk right into their camp without being seen by the lookout, to bring down their entire army of guardsmen. This great organization that we're all a part of lives by striking fear into the hearts of the humans who would see us oppressed."

Hopefully that was enough buzzwords and hot garbage to convince them. Ruby imagined that a mass grave of Schnee guards would spread just as good a tale as the same number of living survivors of the attack, but short of breaking out her maiden powers and unleashing them on unwitting nobodies, the former wasn't happening.

The five Faunus quickly conferred among one another, but Ruby had a good feeling about her odds of convincing them. These Faunus saw her as some kind of war hero from her involvement in the White Fang's Atlas campaign, and her advice would be seen as ancient wisdom. Still, it wasn't what she said as much as that she'd said it with pure confidence. Anything could sound plausible if you said it with enough gusto and self-assured swagger to give people a warm, reassuring feeling in their gut.

"Very well," Cassius said, breaking away from their momentary council. "We've talked it out, and we think that your plan is the best."

Ruby nodded concisely.

"And as much as I'd like to lead this mission," he went on, "I think it would be best if you took point. You came up with our strategy, and you're most familiar with it, so you'd naturally be the best to coordinate our forces. A good leader doesn't let pride get in the way."

Well, a good leader probably wouldn't refer to himself as a good leader, and he certainly wouldn't put it to a vote after saying that he made the final call, but who am I to tell a White Fang captain what the best way to lead is?

Under normal circumstances, a huntress like Ruby would've maximized the benefit of having six pairs of hands (and paws) by splitting them up over a broad area.

So, Ruby did.

It might've sounded stupid, not babysitting the kids and all, but a larger group would have been easier to spot. Plus, this was a relatively low risk task, assuming they were smart enough to follow orders. Fortunately, that seemed to be something they could handle.

Ruby had sat them down at sunset and brushed them up on some basic rules and guidelines. First and foremost, the advantage was theirs. The SDC didn't know they were here, so if anything was even remotely indicative of something going wrong – a guard out of place, a Grimm sighting, anything – they bailed. Tomorrow was just as fine a night for industrial sabotage as tonight, and it wasn't like they had to do this by any deadline. In fact, the more work that was done, the more resources that were wasted by the Schnee Dust Company.

The second rule was that combat should be avoided unless there was a threat to one of their lives. The baddies (goodies in reality, but baddies here) could afford to throw endless men at the White Fang, but if even one Faunus died, that brought them down by 20%. They didn't win by killing their enemy, they won by surviving.

Thirdly, Ruby had reminded them that while they would someday be heroes, the worst thing they could do was become a martyr. The White Fang, after all, depended heavily on this particular rookie squadron of five volunteers.

No one needs to die today. Some will, but none need to.

It…It was unlikely that all of the humans would make it out unscathed, but Ozpin and Goodwitch had said that Ruby would have to do horrible things to save the world. The important thing to remember was that Cassius would have led his squad to their deaths while trying to blow up as many Schnee workers as possible had she not been here. Even if she couldn't save everyone, she could minimize casualties.

And if she did something really stupid, like turn in the White Fang, she might save those few human workers, but she'd be trading away any chance of going on future missions and lowering the body count. It was saving ten people today vs saving hundreds over months, and perhaps millions overall if her mission was a success.

The radio crackled to life as the clocks struck 1am. Cassius' voice came through, vaguely fearful but steadied by forced calm. "All men – move out."

"And women," said Richu.

"Yes, of course," he amended. "My mistake. All men and w–"

Ruby cut them both off. "Voices down. We're on. Absolute silence on the comms unless it's necessary."

Ruby had determined the best locations to target and divided up the work among the Faunus she'd thought best to take care of each spot. She herself was going to be getting into a hidden blind spot from the watchtowers where she could wait it out until the charges were set, and then she would light the fires. Hopefully, the camp would be woken up at that point, and when they all went to congregate around the burning buildings, none would be anywhere near the explosions.

Keeping her eyes glued to the guards on the watchtowers, Ruby waited for the set in the southwest quarter to fall asleep, just as they had last night. Those at other towers could in theory still see her, but most of them were going to assume that the southwest tower would watch its own immediate area.

The men nodded off, and Ruby silently cut through the moonlight until she was in the shadow of the tower itself. The White Fang had exchanged their typical ostentatious uniforms for jet-black jumpsuits, one of which Ruby herself was wearing. She wasn't a ninja by any means, but with the vigilance of those she was trying to evade, she may as well have been. Crescent was with her, in the event that something did go wrong and Ruby ended up needing to fight her way out.

The plan was for them to each achieve certain checkpoint accomplishments – deploy the first explosive, be moved to the second location, and so on – by specific times in the night, and then wait there until the next window of time opened up to complete the next task. Each task would take less than half the time given, so that if anyone ran into any delays, they still had the ability to proceed with the mission. It guaranteed no one would be left behind and feel the need to call in for extra time, thus risking alerting the guards. Ruby was giving these Faunus a wide margin for error.

All in all, the entire mission would take one and a half hours, but most of it would be spent idle. Still, some wasted time was paltry in comparison to the risk of capture.

Ruby had twelve minutes to get to her designated hiding spot, at which point she would wait there for three more checkpoints while the others did their work. After that, her goal was to 'get the firestarters ready' (she couldn't rightly tell the Faunus about her maiden powers and had to pretend to be using a Fire Dust kit). Then, when the fire was up, she would be out of the camp by the –

Ruby froze up just as she came up to the spot.

It's…it's…

The snowflake.

The Goliath-sized snowflake that had been freshly emblazoned on the side of the refinery in giant white strokes of paint hadn't been there before. Workers had likely painted it on during the day.

But it wasn't stationary. It was moving!

It's the same thing! It's her! Hers!

The Atlesian specialist was upon her in a flash, summoning snowy Grimm out of that snowflake and shooting shards of ice and raining down a barrage of sabers that Ruby couldn't deflect no matter how many times she desperately swung her scythe. She was a monster, larger than life, bigger by a wide margin than any of the large industrial processing structures that Ruby was trapped between.

That snowflake, it was a weapon. Despite the panic Ruby felt, she would never forget just how dangerous the snowflake was. The fateful fight was burned into her brain, when the specialist woman, Winter, had sicced all manner of fearsome powers onto Ruby, all originating from runic white disks that bore the same distinct symbol.

"NO!" Ruby screamed, as Winter loomed overhead like a giant. "NO!"

Blood was everywhere. All over the ground, seeping out of the buildings, coating Ruby's hands no matter how hard she tried to rub it off – everywhere.

The enormous specter of the woman Ruby had slain raised her saber, its length akin to that of a schoolbus, and the snowflake on the refinery came alive and began to spin. Ruby didn't know what ungodly magical attack or summoned ghostly Grimm was going to come out of it, but she could be sure that this was to be the killing blow.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Maiden fire exploded outwards from Ruby in all directions as she raised her hands in fear.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Revelry

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #861 – If you ever feel bad about yourself, just remember that there are people who draw rule 34 of me even though, in the original show, attention is repeatedly and explicitly drawn to my age, which is 15 years old.

Chapter Text

The guards had been halfway upon her when she'd started screaming, but that ended up working to her advantage in the long run, because the fire that jetted out in a wide wreath around her ended up incinerating them instantly. Sooooo advantageous.

It wasn't everyone, though, just the guards who'd been on the lookout and close enough to converge on her location before Ruby's breakdown erupted quite violently. There were still plenty of other mooks left to ruin things with their very presence.

Neither of the huntresses had been among the crowd. Ruby could tell because the pair of them were currently staring her down through the barrels of their weapons, with a small Schnee army at their backs.

"HANDS IN THE AIR!" one screamed.

The snowflake was gone, but Ruby still wasn't okay. Her breathing was erratic, her skin was sweaty from the stress and the fire, there was chatter on the comms despite her specifically forbidding it, and Qrow had come back with a vengeance. The old bird was cawing up a storm as he circled overhead like a vulture, ready to swoop down and feast on the ashes at any moment.

"…was that?" asked one of the Faunus. Ruby couldn't be bothered to remember who.

Another answered. "I think one of the charges must've gone o– shit!"

There was steady gunfire on the other end of the line, and then static.

"Richu!" screamed Richu.

Wait. No, that couldn't have been Richu, since…yeah, because of…yeah. It didn't matter, though, because gunfire came through on the other line that had been speaking.

"Head in the game, kiddo," Qrow said, flying overhead. "They saw you use the maiden powers. You need to make sure they don't report on it, and I think you know how."

"HANDS! NOW!"

Qrow should've stayed dead if he was going to be this stupid. No one here could report on her maiden powers, because anyone present to witness that little light show was now a scorched mark on the ground.

Crescent Rose unfolded.

They all were still going to have to die, though.

The fires she'd started were spreading throughout the flammable structures, and most of the nonflammable ones had been brought down by the sheer explosive force of her explosion. That was good, as her mission was now complete either way. All that was left was getting out of there alive and with as many members of the White Fang as possible.

The two that had already died were the stupid ones that had raised their voices and alerted the SDC guards to their presence. Since Ruby hadn't overhead the rest being shot to death, she had to assume that they had enough presence of mind to keep quiet and escape while Ruby took care of the fighting.

I need to keep the entire camp's focus on me while they flee, and I can't use my maiden powers. If I want to survive, I'm going to have to use lethal force.

Ruby ducked out of the way as one of the guards opened fired and returned her own with Crescent. It wasn't particularly accurate, but the point of her gunshots was to mask the sound of her speaking into her radio.

"Get out of here," she calmly ordered to anyone who was listening. "I'll keep them on me – let me know when you're safe so I can retreat."

SDC guards dove out of the way for cover as she randomly shot their general direction, missing out on the fact that she'd just radioed a message. The huntresses, though, both carried shield and had stood their ground.

They now know I have allies in the vicinity, even if they don't know where. I need to kill them both before they sent troops to find the rest.

It was an uncomfortable notion, like swallowing a cherry pit whole and feeling it sink to the bottom of her stomach, but she knew it was necessary at this point. Even if they hadn't seen her use her radio, two huntresses would be too much for her to evade until the White Fang had fled.

Ruby dove towards the taller one of them first, a gray-haired woman with some sort of cannon-club for a weapon. It was probably really cool, but at this point Ruby couldn't find any joy in her entire body to feel appreciation for such a thing.

She put up a good fight, but Ruby's blitz was just too much. If the huntresses were going to have to die either way, it didn't matter if they knew Ruby was a maiden. Unbeknownst to their normal guards, the huntress' feet had been frozen to the ground. She tried to dodge out of the way when Ruby swung her scythe, but it was impossible, and her aura shattered as Ruby sliced Crescent Rose across the woman's chest with an additional punishing blast of compressed air.

The woman's eyes widened at the use of magic on her, but because it was small tricks to give Ruby an advantage and not huge, battle-ending displays of power, most of the other participants of the battle weren't even aware of anything out of the ordinary. They didn't feel their feet freeze or their chests be struck by a blast of air; they only saw a huntress freeze up and take a hit to the chest with an oversized scythe. To the non-hunter, inexplicable behaviors and visuals were merely the mysterious ways of aura-users and their enhanced abilities.

Ruby sent a bullet through the throat of the defeated huntress and blocked the incoming hit from the other before it could land on her.

"Grace! No! What have you –"

Crescent shot into the slain huntress' corpse again, and Ruby used the blast to propel herself backwards into the personal space of her living opponent. The SDC guards were now back up and had regained enough courage to start shooting, and both women were caught in the crossfire as the SDC forces' barrels followed Ruby as she flew back.

Ruby, as the Summer maiden, could gather a haze of water vapor around her, leaving it thin enough to remain invisible to the naked eye in the dead of night with only a few distant fires for light. She could also polarize the water molecules to form a charged shield that slowed down the bullets enough to make them feel like golf balls instead of high caliber Dust rounds.

The huntress could not.

Even as they gunned down their best hope at defeating Ruby, the uniformed men and women continued to fire liberally. It was impossible to tell if it was a disregard for the life of the huntress, desperation to keep (failing at) loading Ruby with bullets, or a collective lack of thought on their parts as they pulled the triggers, but it worked to her advantage. She only took light damage, and the last true combatant went down.

This would work. Ruby, as a huntress, could easily handle these ten or twenty guards without having to kill many of them.

Three.

That was the number of hired guns whose aim was just a bit too precise to consistently keep dodging. That was the number of lives Ruby had ended since the huntresses fell.

It was horrible. It wasn't like the huntresses, where they had a chance to defend themselves. No, Ruby had killed them the way a human killed a bug – quickly, easily, and without having to exert much energy.

But at the same time, once they were dead, she didn't have to hurt anyone else. It was nasty business, compromising on a few people so that she could dance circles around the rest with no risk to her or them, but it was what it was.

If I tried to let everyone live, I would've run myself ragged, and then I would've needed to fight for my life for the rest of the night. This way, they're going to be running out of bullets soon, and I'm still at solid green aura.

The guards weren't yet retreating, likely playing a dangerous game of chicken with Ruby between their ammo staches and her aura. To be fair, she hadn't yet directly attacked them, so they must've thought she was holding back for some reason. To the untrained eye, one might've thought Ruby was on the verge of collapse and had been forced to retreat to defense and dodging.

Seriously, though, when're the rest of the crew going to phone in for a retreat?

"They might be dead," Qrow pointed out.

Ruby was going to bash him for his unhelpful negativity, but she realized that he did raise a good point. If they had been shot already…

Then I killed those people for nothing.

There was an easy way to find out, though. With the few remaining guards essentially spent, Ruby felt safe enough to take out her radio and quickly spit out two words into it.

"Sound off."

No response came for a moment, and then something small, metallic, and gray landed in the densest portion of the Schnee guards' ranks.

For five seconds, it did nothing.

"P-Please," groaned the guard.

Ruby placed the gun up against his forehead. If killing the best shots from before had been difficult, this was just torture for her. This man was down, and he had no way to defend himself from anything she did to him.

His eyes closed. "Thank…you…"

Ruby pulled the trigger.

That was the last one. Only a handful had actually died during the charge's detonation, and the rest had been horribly mutilated in the ensuing blast. Most of them were covered in massive burns and were missing limbs, and a scant few had particularly disgusting injuries like shrapnel in their eyes or guts falling out. Killing them had been a mercy, especially since the alternative was leaving them to the glowing red eyes in the bushes that were tasting some delicious negativity.

Now that she was done, Ruby swallowed the pain that was in her throat and took a moment to collect herself. Then, she walked in a beeline in the direction that the charge had been thrown from.

When she'd made it to the treeline, a voice called out. "Rose! I knew you would –"

"Which one are you?" she said angrily.

"I heard you on the radio, and I knew I could help if y –"

"Which?" she repeated.

The Faunus blinked at her with confusion on his face. "Which what?"

"Which. Faunus. Are. You."

"Uh…." He smiled awkwardly and scratched at his hair. "I-It's me, Ruby. Hyacinth."

Crescent Rose flashed three time in less than a second. The first cut took both his legs at the knees. The second was aimed at his torso, low enough to rend both his torso and arms. The last was done to remove his head, plain and simple.

"Hyacinth is dead," Ruby said to no one in particular.

She'd killed before. She'd killed on accident, she'd killed on purpose, she'd killed regretfully, she'd killed with pride.

But this was the first time she'd killed solely because she'd wanted to. No need to kill was involved, nor were any orders given to do so. Nothing was lost by letting Cory live, but she'd chosen to end his life because it had sounded like it would make her feel good, and by the Gods it so fucking had. Ruby nearly fell to her knees from the euphoric relief of finally being in control and doing an action that belonged to her and no on else.

Qrow and Winter's innocent blood had stained Crescent Rose. But it felt so much better to coat it with Venne's guilty blood. It was like the stains were cleaned off, replaced by that of someone far more deserving.

Ruby left his multiple pieces of corpse where they lay and headed back to the rendezvous point. Grimm from the forests rushed past her to investigate the scene for any remaining victims to slaughter, but they wouldn't find any. Ruby Rose, the agent of Salem, had been thorough tonight.

Strangely, the Grimm ignored Ruby entirely as she walked by them in the opposite direction. The ones in the Grimmlands usually did that when on Salem's direct orders, but never the ones in the forests of the four kingdoms unless they'd been specifically instructed to. Ruby had no idea what had changed that made them lose sight of her entirely. Perhaps monsters sensed monsters.

Cassius and one other White Fang member were back at the rendezvous point when Ruby reached it. Both of their eyes lit up upon seeing her, but their smiles faded when they looked around and saw that she was all alone.

"Where's the rest?" the nameless one asked passionately. "Where is everyone?"

Ruby looked over at the Faunus and said nothing. There was no answer, honest or otherwise, that could pacify him, so she just let it go.

The Faunus interpreted that as Ruby being too shocked by the loss of her dear friends to comment and bravely drew up his sidearm. "We have to go back for them!"

"No!" said Cassius, grabbing his arm. "Venne, it's too late! If Rose couldn't get them out, they're already dead!"

"I have to!" Hyacinth said, wrestling free of his superior officer's grip. "My gut is telling me that they might still be alive! It's like before, I just know!"

He surged forward with a sudden burst of speed, and Cassius' hold on him was lost. All it took was a singular moment, and he was off running back into the forest.

"Damn it!" the last remaining Faunus cried. "Da…"

His voice lowered as he realized that shouting so loud in enemy territory was probably going to endanger him just as his subordinate's foolishness was going to get him killed.

"No Schnees left, but Grimm were swarming," Ruby breathed. "They'll probably get him."

"Why didn't you stop him?" Cassius hissed. "You could have grabbed him when I let go!"

Ruby shrugged.

"And what exactly happened back there?" he went on, still low in volume. "A charge went off? Richu and Cory were surprised by it, and Venne said it wasn't him. Was there something wrong with Hyacinth's?"

Ruby had seen it go off when the bastard threw it into the mass of Schnee guards, so she highly doubted that.

"…you're awfully calm about this all," Cassius noted.

His fingers slowly went reaching down to his waist, likely in his best impression of subtlety. It wasn't very good.

Ruby glanced at the gun on his hip, then made eye contact with him. The young Faunus broke first, pulled it out, and aimed it at Ruby for all of three seconds. Then, his nerves failed and he holstered it once more, letting out a pained sigh.

"What would I even be able to do?" he asked to no one in particular, his eyes drifting upwards towards the night sky.

Ruby sighed weakly and let out a nod at that. "That's basically the motto for tonight. No one can do anything right."

"D-Did you…was the blast you?"

Ruby didn't need to speak to answer him.

Cassius' groan was rich in strife. "What happened to all that professionalism stuff? You drill us for hours about how to best conduct ourselves, and then you went and broke it? I admit, were not the finest squad in the corp, but we were doing alright! We would've done what you asked if you'd only let us have the chance to! Why would you…just why?"

Looking back at the forest, Ruby wondered what had become of Richu. Perhaps his 'semblance' had been right, and one of the others had survived being shot when Ruby had tipped off the Schnee to their presence. Miracles could happen.

But he isn't coming back. Even if he finds a survivor, and even if they both magically evade the Grimm, there's no way that doofus could drag them back to the rendezvous point. His sense of direction was shit, and I bet he only made it here the first time because the captain was holding his hand.

When she turned her attention back to the Faunus, he was starting to look less distraught and more on the angry side of things.

"You'll pay for this," he cried out, the cautious need for silence lost in his emotional outburst. Spit came out of his mouth as he half-spoke, half-screamed. "I'll tell the High Command just how your trigger happy idiocy got my men and women killed! Let's see how you like it when your boss find –"

Ruby lazily tilted Crescent Rose upwards. It had been dragging through the ground because she hadn't been able to find the energy to close it up, thus leaving a long cut out row in the soil behind her. Aiming it was all Ruby needed to do to shut Cassius up.

His fists balled up, but there was nothing he could do, and they both knew it. She was the all-powerful huntress, and he was just a weak, puny little freedom fighter. Ruby figured this would've been particularly painful for him if he were to find out that she was a human, the same species that had always lorded its power over his.

It's a good thing that I'm not doing this to hurt him. He's too much of a risk to let go, but I'm not going to make him suffer for no reason.

"I'm sorry," she said emptily.

His eyes narrowed. "No, you're not."

"Eh, you've got me there."

Cassius closed his eyes and let out a long breath. "Make it quick. Please."

His voice cracked at the end, and Ruby felt a small swell of pity for the man. Despite how untrained he and his team were, they truly had done nothing wrong on this mission. It was no one's fault but Ruby's that things had turned to shit, but fault didn't matter in the real world. Ruby had a job to do, and one semi-innocent terrorist's life wasn't going to deter her from it.

"Explain yourself," Salem said, through the Seer. Its tentacles were already starting to pre-emptively wrap themselves around her throat in case she needed to teach Ruby a lesson.

Despite the obvious threat, Ruby wasn't particularly afraid. It wasn't because the threat wasn't real or because Ruby had some way to avoid it; no, Ruby wasn't afraid because she wasn't anything right now.

"The mission went awry. I had a breakdown in the middle of it, and we were detected as a result. The Faunus I went with perished."

Salem rose on the other end of the Seer and turned away from Ruby, walking towards a partially repaired window in the throne room of Evernight. There was a moment of silence, after which Salem turned her head downwards and to the right slightly so Ruby could only see about a quarter of her face.

"Our alliance with the White Fang?" she asked.

"They decried my failure to protect their men, but our mission was completed, so the High Command wasn't too upset. If I'm to be honest, I don't think that they actually expected –"

The tentacles around her throat constricted, and Ruby found herself unable to continue speaking. It wasn't a painful strangulation but a mere cutoff of her windpipe, thus preventing her from getting air out of her lungs.

"I care little what they expected. I expected you to succeed, not fall to pieces." Salem waved a hand, and the grip of her Seer tightened. "I must say, I am disappointed in this outcome."

Now it was starting to hurt, and Ruby's instincts were telling her to lash out. This was a Grimm, the kind of monster she'd been fighting for her entire life, and it was her natural right to destroy it. All it would take would be a single flare of her eyes, which were already practically bursting out of their sockets from anticipation.

Let us out, it felt like they cried. We were made to do this.

Ruby ignored the screeching as best she could, but it was Qrow's voice that helped her stay focused. "You have something she wants. Give it to her."

"Y…gr…s…"

Salem didn't react, content to let Ruby suffer for a little longer.

Ruby could easily tear apart and destroy and annihilate and utterly ruin the Seer that was choking her. Not doing so felt like an agony, as her eyes were on the verge of crying. Instinct was telling her that she was in danger from a Grimm, and holding back when she could so easily give in felt like trying to hold back a sneeze when it was halfway begun, or trying to stop peeing once she'd starting, or trying to not swing her scythe once she'd already pulled it back.

Her fingers somehow found the strength to slip between the coils of the Seer's arms and loosen it enough for her to draw in a deep breath. Salem turned around angrily, displeased at this disruption of her will, but Ruby spoke before she could act.

"Your grace, I –"

"I care not for your excuses. If you lost control, then perhaps you are unfit to serve me."

"I killed them."

That shut Salem up, but only for a second. "…who?"

"Everyone. The Faunus and the humans alike." Ruby took in a breath "The latter had to die for the completion of my mission, but the former died because I wanted them to stop being alive. I didn't kill them because the completion of the task you assigned me mandated me to. I killed them all with no orders to do so."

She was basically admitting to insubordination, but she had full confidence that Salem wouldn't care. This was a relatively insignificant task, done solely to fulfill some arrogant desire of Salem's to see herself as a just being and with little to no impact on the war against Ozma, which did matter to her. The biggest issue was Ruby's supposed incompetence but admitting that Salem had won would overshadow that.

And Salem had won. Ruby had no leg to stand on anymore; she couldn't lie to Salem, because she needed Salem to believe she was evil, and she couldn't lie to herself, because there was no point in that. Salem's stated goal was to ruin Ruby Rose, and Ruby Rose was ruined. She'd burned innocent men and women alive because she couldn't control her own emotions, she'd killed a non-deserving Faunus for her own gratification, and she'd cleaned up the rest of that corner of Mistral to cover it all up. The most damning part was that Ruby didn't even feel all that bad about it.

She barely felt.

But what she did feel was kinda good.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Cup of Coffee

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #72 – Snitches get bitches.

Chapter Text

Salem let her off with a warning, but it was clearly to save face at having criticized her so harshly and to avoid appearing wishy-washy. Ruby was given her next mission and then left to her own devices to let her own morals decay further.

Apparently, Cinder was making a lot of progress in locating Amber, so Ruby was being assigned to handle anything and everything in Vale. That way, she would be in the neighborhood, ready to be called in whenever the moment came.

Salem was apparently looking out for the endgame now. Her methods might have been gradually weakening humanity, but her ultimate goal was to obtain the relics and maidens. To that end, she was now formally planning her attacks on the academies. As she'd mentioned before, they had 'ins' with each of the kingdoms (except Shade, which was why Salem hadn't ordered Ruby to take their relic). Watts, who was believed to be dead by Atlas, could get them entrance into the Atlesian technological systems. He was locating the Winter maiden as they spoke and doing everything he could to prepare Salem's side for the day Ruby launched her assault on the northern kingdom.

Mistral was already firmly in Salem's grasp, given Lionheart's true loyalty. Tyrian was in Vacuo, presumably killing hunters so that there were fewer defenses. As Ruby understood it, that kingdom would be last. Salem's intention was to let the others fall first so that fear would rise and Vacuo would be besieged by Grimm while lacking the defense to repel the attack.

All that was left to start the dominos was Vale. When Ruby killed or captured the Fall maiden, Salem would launch her plans to topple Vale using her inside forces – Cinder's team. When Vale fell, Lionheart would tip his hand and allow his own kingdom to be destroyed. Two fallen kingdoms would frighten the others, and they would be next.

It all started with Vale.

Except it doesn't. When I kill Amber, I'll have enough magic behind me to kill Raven. With any luck, I can convince Salem that three maiden-powers are better than two, and then I go back home.

Home…

Ruby wasn't sure what going back would be like anymore. Her fanciful dream of everything magically being worked out seemed almost impossible now. It wasn't that Ruby didn't feel her name could be cleared – quite the opposite, in fact, since most people who'd seen her more heinous crimes were dead. No, the reason she didn't think she could just melt back into the huntress life was because she herself had irreparably changed for the worse.

Maybe Ozpin would have a use for her, given that she would be three of his maidens. Or maybe he would tell her to climb to the top of Mount Serathusa and dig her head in the sand for the rest of her life or until another misled young girl came to murder her, whichever came first.

Salem's original plan had been to have Cinder orchestrate several high-profile deaths onscreen during the Vytal Festival Tournament, but they'd scrapped that when Ruby had killed Qrow and gotten Amber recalled. Since there had been no guarantee that Amber would resurface in time for the tournament, Salem had decided not to invest resources into going through with it. After all, if Vale fell and they lacked the maiden, there would be no way to get into the vault, which was what it was all about in the end.

Now, the Vytal Festival had already concluded with some Beacon team being named the victor; Ruby hadn't had a chance to watch it because she was busy murdering Pickerel at the time. Amity colosseum was being scrubbed down for next time, and Beacon's transfer students from the other three kingdoms were in the process of finishing up their one year of lessons spent abroad before being shipped back.

Cinder was still in Beacon, but only for a short period before she was sent home to Haven. Thus, in her limited time remaining, she had her subordinates, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo, access otherwise restricted databases that only Vale's hunters (and hunters-in-training) had permission to use. Ruby's scroll was fed a list of the names and personal details of every active duty and retired defend of the kingdom, be they huntsman, huntress, civilian militia, field medics, primary combat schoolteacher, or even as much as a licensed bullhead pilot. Her assignment, bound only by a few guidelines from Salem and the limits of her good judgment to not get caught, was to push the kingdom to the brink.

If Ruby tried really hard, she could probably clear through the list in short order. Her appearance was rather unremarkable from a recognizability standpoint (no memorable features like scars or tattoos, brown hair, pale skin), and if she put on a simple disguise, there was no doubt she could shake any appearance of being the wanted criminal Ruby Rose. As a mere child younger than the average Beacon entrant (albeit quite stronger than one), Ruby's presence wouldn't raise anyone's guard. Hunters would feel comfortable around her, turn their back to her, lower their auras in her presence…

Alternatively, if she dragged her feet, Vale would be much safer. Ruby could pick off just enough targets of strategic value to bring back meaningful reports to Salem without arousing mountains of suspicion. There was no need to drastically reduce the kingdom's defenses. Salem was always watching, but that wasn't to say that she was astutely aware of Ruby's limitations and capabilities. If Ruby only put in 50% effort, or even 25%, it wasn't as though Salem would ever know.

Decisions, decisions.

On the one hand, I don't want the kingdom to fall. On the other, I have a job to do.

In the end, Ruby decided to split it down the middle and do a normal amount of work. She wasn't going to strive to clear her list of names as quickly as possible, nor would she stretch this out as long as possible.

To ease Qrow's pestering caws, she promised to spread it out. If all of any one group died, things would be worst. Like, for instance, if the kingdom lost all its bullhead operators, that entire skill pool would take years to replace, and there would be no one to drop hunters off at strategic locations. Or if all of the teachers died, then there would be no one to train new hunter students. Hunters from the field might try, but most would only really know how to demonstrate combat classes. Lecturing in halls and proctoring exams tended to require very specific skill sets.

So, Ruby went through one of each to pace herself. If she killed a huntsman, she wouldn't kill another huntsman until a single instance of all the others were dead as well.

Killing came easy to her, now that reality had bluntly beaten the squeamishness out of her. Tyrian had been kind enough to offer her some of his venom, which she'd picked up before coming to Vale. It was one of the most potent neurotoxins on the market, and especially difficult to identify. A cure was available if one knew that it was scorpion Faunus venom that had been applied, but Ruby made sure to carefully cover her tracks.

It wasn't all that difficult. With the addresses that Team Cinder had given Ruby, she was easily able to identify and stalk her marks. These were typically the type of people who did lots of work outside of the kingdom, meaning that their apartments weren't so much homes as they were touchdown spaces, basically temporary quarters to rest in before being recalled. Almost all of them ate from restaurants, fast food chains, or takeout. All Ruby had to do was find out the places they frequented, slip some hootch into the stocks, and sit back and watch her results.

There were civilian casualties, for sure, but these things tended to happen when one mixed a deadly concoction into food that was being widely distributed. The risks that came with doing something stupid like sniping them in broad daylight or trying to overpower them with her maiden powers were far greater. But still, when Ruby was feeling especially guilty, she sometimes killed and replaced a delivery person; it was especially easy to blend into that role, given her appearance of being a young teenager working a part time job. That way, the casualties were minimized, as she would only need to poison one order. It was also a better way to stretch out the limited venom Tyrian had supplied her with, as the alternative was a long trip back to Vacuo.

It felt odd, being a poisoner/assassin when she had unquestionable combat skills the likes of which had rarely been seen before, but the job needed to be done. Cinder was preoccupied, and after Hazel's death, there was an abundance of tasks in need of completions and a shortage of able-bodied workers to complete them. Evernight was being rebuilt, and that took up much of the time of Salem's Grimm population and her limited control over them. And if the Grimm weren't culling the hunters in Vale, their numbers might swell too large and disrupt the delicate balance.

And that's bad. Somehow.

Ruby rubbed her head.

Probably because, I dunno, if there's too many huntsmen and huntresses, Salem will feel threatened, and she'll…you know, I have no clue why I'm trying to justify this to myself. I just need to do this because she told me to, and that's all there is.

Ruby was currently in a café, watching the burger joint across the street where some huntress or something was ordering. The fact that the huntress was eating there for the third time in as many nights was proof enough that it would be a target for Ruby, but Ruby herself had ordered a coffee from the place she was at and didn't want to appear suspicious by leaving right after sitting down.

A simple cap and pair of sunglasses was enough to prevent Ruby from being easily identified, despite her former status as the kingdom's number one most wanted woman. Seriously, if this was how easy it was for a criminal to get around, it was a miracle that the kingdoms hadn't collapsed inwards on themselves even without Salem's prompting.

The huntress' name was something or the other so-and-so; Ruby couldn't remember at this point. She'd crossed off over forty names in the month or so that she'd been in Vale, and one more wasn't worth committing to the memory banks.

Roman Torchwick's household, the one she'd been first inducted in, was her temporary living quarters, but much like her victims, she only used it as a space to sleep and occasionally work it. Most of her time was spent out in the field, finding or ending the people she was tasked with ending. Roman himself had been wise enough to quickly make himself scarce most of the time when their occupancies overlapped.

Man, the coffee here really is just the worst, she thought, forcing herself to take another sip.

It took serious willpower not to just spit out the dirt-flavored fluid onto the ground, but again, that would draw attention. She might be hidden right now, but that was only because no one was even noticing her. If she did something to make herself the center of attention, that would change instantly.

It wasn't like Ruby couldn't just fight her way through any defenses the city threw at her, but she would rather avoid that. In addition to risking causing the city going into lockdown, it also would be needless death. Ruby may have been okay with killing, but she didn't want innocent people to die for no reason. She still remembered which side she was on.

The funny thing is, the person I am right now would probably be more of an asset to Salem than to Ozpin. I'm desensitized to murder, I have powers that work best for indiscriminate destruction, and I know the inner workings of her organization much better. Seriously, if Ozpin decides he wants me to fight alongside his own people after this whole thing, I don't even know who that would be. On the other hand, I can tell you Tyrian's favorite bladed weapon, and the puzzles that Cinder and Watts once were are now solved.

Huh. I really am a villain now, I guess.

The huntress, having finished her burger and shake, got up to walk away, and Ruby took that as a cue to do the same. Downing the coffee in a single gulp, she got –

Oh, no. That coffee really sucked ass. Ruby had tried her best to choke it all down in one go, but the bitter flavor was too much, and her throat seized up. It wasn't anything bad, but she wasn't able to drink the full cup at once. It was going to be a second before she could drink any more of it.

Something bumped into her from behind. Ruby ignored it. Threats were few and far between within the walls of the kingdom, and her aura was raised at all times just in case.

"Pardon me."

The voice was familiar. Okay, now it was time for Ruby to calmly turn around and check who it was that had bumped into her. She took off her sunglasses to get a closer look, but she specifically made an effort to behave naturally without losing it or anything; she was broken, not stupid.

It was an older woman that had nudged Ruby's chair while focusing on balancing the three overfilled cups of coffee in her hands while scooching in through a narrow space between chairs. The coffee cups she was holding were literally filled to the brim, but not a single drop was spilling over the rim of a single one.

"Oh," said Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch.

The pause that came next was so pregnant, one might've thought it had been on Team Stark with Ruby's father.

"I-I apologize for –"

"Y-Yeah, no problem."

Goodwitch stared at Ruby for a second.

"Um," she said, her eyes flicking over Ruby face. "I-Is that seat taken? Do you still need it?"

Ruby looked at her table. There weren't any other seats with her.

"Uhhhhh…n-no," Ruby answered awkwardly. "No, I think I…might, you know, need it for a little bit longer. I'm, uh, sorry, I guess."

The initial shock was wearing off, and Goodwitch's neutral demeanor was returning. "Oh. No problem. Just please inform me if it becomes available."

"I was just leaving, but…yeah, sure. I will."

Ruby stood up immediately. Ignoring the taste of her shitty coffee, she chugged it all down in one go, nodded at the huntress opposite her, and sped off as quickly as she could without making it look like she was fleeing.

"Jeez, kid," said Roman, when Ruby got back to home base, his apartment. "You look out of sorts. Everything good?"

Her heart felt like it was about to pound out of her chest.

That was…oh Dust, oh my Gods, oh my GODs…

Ruby couldn't remember the last time she'd actually gotten to drop the mask. Maybe it was with Lìxià? Or with Winter? But she'd gone and maimed the former, and the latter had been Ruby's first real kill.

This was different. This was someone who knew and believe the full truth and understood what –

"Oh my gods, it's over. It's already over."

Roman awkwardly tried to push past her (she'd sort of cornered him in the doorway when she'd entered), but Ruby was like an unmovable brick. There was too much going on right now for her to make way.

It was the kind of moment Ruby would have looked forward to for months on end if she'd known in advance, the kind of moment she would have planned out down to the millisecond to optimize every tiny bit of time she'd gotten, except she hadn't known in advance. She hadn't even had a chance to savor it or to…to…to get anything out of it. Ruby hadn't been able to decompress or talk things out or let out any of the pain she'd been carrying around since killing Ozpin.

They'd just babbled coded messages about chairs or something, and then Goodwitch was gone. It was over.

"You'll see her again," begged Qrow, but Ruby wasn't having it.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Ruby randomly was graced by chance with bumping into someone who could have helped fix her, but she didn't get to do anything. Her breathing felt like it could stop at any moment, as virulent anger mixed into the frustration, abject fear, and utter confusion that was already swarming around inside of her head.

So close. Too close. Cinder's on Amber's heels, and then I can go for Raven, and…why?

"It's not fair!" Ruby screamed aloud, being made aware of the tears only by the feeling of them dripping off her chin. "IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"W-Woah," said the thief who stood next to her. He reached over to shut the door Ruby had just flown in through, then fished a small brown package out of his coat. "Easy the-he-here, kiddo. You look like someone who could use a good stogie to calm down, eh?"

Ruby's arm flew out before her brain could even consciously give it the order to, but had she been thinking she would have done the same thing. It wasn't for the pack of cigars that she reached, though.

The mess that her emotions had become made her soul-based aura spark and flash uncontrollably, and Ruby's own strength and speed was already enhanced by her semblance. To top it off, she was empowered by maiden magic, and though she hadn't yet mastered it in any sense of the word, she had a good enough understanding of how to control the air and physics around her to make her physical hits even hard. All in all, it was the perfect recipe for a good punch.

Ruby couldn't even close up her fist as it collided with Roman's throat, so it was more of an open C-shaped palm when it struck, the kind one might use to hold a cup. The thief was a smart man, so he'd raised his aura the second Ruby arrived. Unfortunately for him, aura had limits, and Ruby's mega-strike reached his instantly. His orange aura flickered away as Ruby's hand pushed right through it.

And the front of his throat.

And the back of his throat.

And the wall.

In the end, it was only the reach of Ruby's arm that stopped it from going further. Roman probably wasn't even aware he was being attacked until it was already over…until everything was already over for him.

For a second, Ruby just stood there, her arm uncomfortably stretched at an odd angle and covered by the blood of her dead former archenemy.

Then, her brain restarted, and she took stock of herself.

W-What have I done? This…This is going to be a problem.

Her hands, her arm, her clothes, all of them were covered in blood, and some even had tiny bits of flesh from what had splattered outwards due to the sheer force of the attack. It was going to take forever to wash this all out, and she had two more targets to scope out before the end of the day if she were to keep to her schedule. Plus, there was still that burger place that she had to drop some poison onto. With all that, it was unlikely Ruby would have time to wait for a full laundry cycle on her current outfit.

Ruby had to force herself to breathe.

It's going to be okay. I can do this. There's no time to clean, but if I just ditch these clothes altogether and switch into a new set, I might have time for a shower. Plus, it looks like the leggings and boots are mostly untouched. I can still make it to the place without being late for the thing.

Coming Soon – Ruby's Team

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip # 410 – Fool me once, I'll kill you, you little shit. You can't fool me twice because you're fucking dead from the first time.

Chapter Text

She got the scroll call when she was verifying the results of another mark from afar. The elderly man, who was apparently some sort of well-respected surgeon specializing in aura users, collapsed into the street with a quiet rasp, but Ruby was a significant distance away. There were several much closer passersby, so no one batted an eye when she answered her scroll instead of going to check up on him.

"Cinder. What've you got for me?"

"Lady Rose," said the voice on the other end. Video was disabled as a precaution, since Ruby's face was well known in Beacon. "She has been located."

Waiting for the weekend was a challenge for Ruby, as her nerves were practically rupturing with excitement, but Cinder couldn't justify disappearing for long periods of time on a schoolday. It was such a trivial concern, Ruby thought, but one they had to abide by. After all, Cinder was still in hot water from the last time they had snuck off for an unlicensed field trip, and Headmaster's Notes could only get you so far.

With her were Emerald and Mercury. Their last teammate, Neopolitan, wasn't going to be attending, following a sudden and unexpected death in the family. Ruby didn't know what her deal was, but she doubted the extra firepower would truly be necessary.

"Heh, still enough for a full team even though the little psychopath is gone," japed Mercury, when Ruby met them in the woods outside of Vale. "Team CRME…oh, it even spells out crime! How wonderful."

Ruby simply raised an eyebrow. Not at Mercury, though.

Shamefully, it took Cinder nearly five seconds to realize she had displeased Ruby, and even longer to realize what the problem was.

"I-If we are a team, Lady Rose is the leader, Mercury," she had quickly stuttered out. "You understand this surely." Her head did a tilted nod quickly.

Mercury's gaze casually drifted to Cinder, then his eyes widened. The cyborg teenager quickly rushed his hands behind his back and cast his eyes down. "Of course. My apologies for forgetting, ma'am."

Ruby decided to go ahead and assume that the ma'am was for her and not Cinder. She didn't really care about Mercury Black or his theoretical insubordination, but she'd realized a curious thing in the wake of Roman's death.

If I can find an above-board reason to kill these three, that's three fewer minions of Salem's, permanently. I need to be on the lookout for opportunities to clean house.

"We're burning daylight," Ruby said. "Cinder, our bearing?"

"Yes, my lady." She collected a scroll that Emerald offered, which had some sort of map open on it. "We were able to use your excellent strategies regarding Amber's staff to approximate the terrain in which she would feel most comfortable. From there, we pinpointed a list of her locations, which allowed us to roughly project her trajectory to the next village."

Ruby's hands balled up into fists at her sides. Cinder had called her out because they had…a projection? Of where Amber might be?

Cinder noticed the peril and quickly continued on explaining. "A-A-And using this projection, we were able to track her to that village, where we positively identified her. Emerald was able to slip a tracker onto her saddlebag while Mercury distracted her by pretending to flirt with her. This exchange took place less than two days ago. We now know her exact location."

"And?"

"She's on the road. Fortune smiles upon us, as her route takes her in a wide arc around the kingdom's wildlands that just happens to come relatively close to Beacon. If we pursue and intercept her, we can be upon her within a few hours."

Ruby digested this report for a few seconds, mentally double-checking it for errors. When Cinder and her own desperate need for power, validation, or whatever it was she secretly craved was involved, one could never be too careful.

"She's seen Mercury."

Cinder nodded and opened her mouth, but Ruby raised a hand. Cinder's mouth shut.

"Mercury."

He stood at attention. "Y-Yes?"

"Any chance she suspected foul play or deception?"

"No way, absolutely not," he quickly stammered. "I made sure to kick up the douchebaggery a notch, play th-the part of an arrogant huntsman, ya know, l-l-like there's, uh, tons, uh, of…"

He quailed under Ruby's gaze, and by the time she approached him, his rambling stopped entirely.

"Mercury," she breathed.

"Ma'am?"

"I need to know. This is for planning purposes, so I'd be more disappointed by a lie that paints you in a good light than the truth, whatever it may be. Does she suspect she's being hunted?"

He bit down on his lip and winced. "No. Probably not. I don't know. N-No, about the foul play bit, but I think I was memorable enough that she would recognize me if she saw me, if you're, uh, planning me to use me in an ambush or for bait or something."

Ruby rolled her eyes, then lit them up with maiden fire as Mercury probably shit his pants.

"Does. She. Suspect."

His head tilted down, as though he was suddenly and incomprehensibly interested in the patterns of the grass on the ground. "No, ma'am. No."

"There we go," Ruby said, letting her eyes go back to normal. She patted Mercury on the shoulder. "Wasn't so hard, now was it? Now, let's hit the road. We've got a maiden to catch."

Cinder dared not bring up the Winter maiden powers that Ruby had promised her. It was painfully obvious that they and all maidens' powers were now lost to her.

The last time she'd seen Ruby in person was after their disastrous attempt to kill Raven Branwen over the powers of the Spring maiden, and the last time she'd spoke to her via either scroll or Seer was shortly after Hazel had taken her to Mistral. Little Ruby had changed much since then.

Gone was the girl who strayed away from social situations, preferring Cinder to talk to the people of Temeria because she was so shy that she didn't even think herself able to. In its place was a cruel facsimile of that long-departed child, one that had all of the accoutrements and much of the cheer, but it was now a forgery. That cuteness was now just an act, one that Ruby could drop at will as she'd shown with Mercury just moments prior.

Ruby had killed a maiden and claimed her powers, a feat even Cinder herself could not boast. On top of that, she'd slain Hazel Rainart himself after the ignorant brute apparently turned against Salem, which was something Cinder would never have attempted in her wildest dreams. Even Tyrian, the combat machine with a heart of murder, had fared poorly in that fight, having lost his tail and going out of commission until Watts rebuilt it from mechanical parts.

Even now, Ruby skipped through the forest, wide-eyed like a bright young huntress keen on soaking in as much of the world around her as she could, but Cinder saw through it. She'd seen the authentic Ruby Rose, and this one was much more carefully crafted. The joy of living that she'd once exhibited freely, worn on her sleeve for Cinder and the whole world to plainly see, was no longer genuine.

Ruby had been out doing Salem's bidding in the Vale for over a month now, and that meant doing unspeakably vile acts while also keeping attention off of her. There was no way she was still a bright-eyed idealist with dreams of an improved world that she'd once been. This new Ruby was an act. She'd weaponized her youth and maintained her mannerisms, but the girl inside was dead. Salem had killed her.

Cinder sighed. It's not my place to judge, nor is it mine to mourn. Ruby is my superior. Without her, I am nothing.

"Cinder?" Emerald said, jogging from behind to catch up to her. "Are you alright?"

The quartet had walked in silence for about an hour now. Ruby had taken Emerald's scroll from Cinder and was leading the pack. She hadn't explicitly asked to be left alone, but only a suicidal fool with a masochistic side would willingly choose to engage her right now.

"Everything is fine, Emerald."

Emerald seemed skeptical, and her eyes flickered over to Ruby before coming back.

Cinder's insistence on Emerald's blind loyalty was now coming back to bite her in the ass. Mercury was an attack dog and, like any animal, could be taught by being beaten until he knew not to bark so loudly; his missing hand was a suitable lesson, and Cinder doubted her would ever try anything so bold again.