Ruby: The Path Ends

Chapter Two

     It was hard to maintain a positive outlook over the next few weeks. There was a lot to catch up on and it seemed like everything she learned added another brick to the growing wall between her and hope.

     Ozpin had built a formidable empire over the years. The vast majority of the faunus were on his side since they were now treated not only as equals but were even granted special considerations. He had started small with the seemingly disorganized gangs taking over sections of the cities around Vale. Once an area was secured he determined who lived and worked there using people like Torchwick as his mouthpiece. Those who resisted 'disappeared'. Faunus were always given first choice of new homes in each area and inevitably ended up with better housing than the humans. Thugs and police both worked under his command, though neither knew it at first. Both were ordered to punish humans who resisted the new way.

     Within a few years he controlled Vale and had similar movements beginning quietly in other places. He blackmailed, bribed and connived his way around using various people to prevent anyone from noticing everything was being controlled by one insane puppetmaster. According to Ms. Goodwitch, he genuinely believed what he was doing was for the greater good and that scared her more than anything. It made him far more dangerous.

     When she made it known that he was the one pulling all the strings there was a violent confrontation throughout all the kingdoms but it was too late. He had more control than most realized. In the few places he did not control those in command, he had the loyalty of most of their followers. The revolt lasted less than two weeks. That was when the implants began. Those not willing to bow to a madman quickly rallied behind the only ones left who spoke against Overlord Ozpin. The Schnee company retained its voice, though all those remaining were in hiding. They had enough knowledge to use the media to their advantage, hacking into anything with a monitor or speaker to encourage people to fight back, to keep hoping, keep trying, keep fighting.

     Most of those who didn't give up were taken to one of the small 'bases' to have their implants removed and make sure they weren't spies. There were many such bases but few people had made it this far. It was only those they were absolutely sure they could trust they brought to this compound. There were less than three hundred people in this massive place. At one time that would have been considered a skeleton crew by the Schnee company.

     Ruby sighed as she skimmed the directory. So few people she knew... and she didn't see her uncle's name. Her heart sank and she debated whether to ask Yang about him, scared of what she might say.

     It took almost a month for her to get back to a useful state. During the early weeks her free time was spent aching so badly she could barely move as the surviving teachers gave her three years worth of lessons compacted down to what mattered now. That was determined mostly by what Grimm Ozpin had 'tamed' and was using against the resistance.

     He had a number of hunters now trained as their handlers, herding them toward known enemies of the empire. They roamed freely in the no man's land outside the walled cities. Anyone caught harming them would be subject to a slow public death. However much that may rankle older hunters, they obeyed.

     Yang didn't. One of her favorite methods of blowing off steam became killing Ozpin's pet Grimm. It was dangerous, though, and the others had to step in numerous times to get her away from the huntsmen loyal to the Overlord. She cheerfully told Ruby all about it as she recounted the origins of her many scars over meals. While Ruby was proud of her sister, she was worried, too. There was an almost desperate wildness in her eyes, the kind that spoke of the likelihood of her taking unnecessary risks and dying young.

     Once she was getting around easily Dove and Mezza brought Rose to meet her. She instantly loved the little girl. Ruby had flashbacks to her own youth just watching her bounce around asking rapid fire questions while telling her everything that she could think to say in as few breaths as possible.