After The Six Guns crew and Don return to Vega, Don leaves the job of dispatching the rescues to his men. Meanwhile, Don and the crew went back to the basement of their hideout. When they get there, and no one is left in the room besides them and Ruby, Don pulls a gun out and points it at Siran.
"Now explain to me what's really going on here" Don says, "I don't buy this returning hero bullshit!".
Zia pulls out one of her pistols and points it at Don, without saying a word. It was now a standoff. At least, it was, until Ruby spoke up.
"Can you guys shut it!?" Ruby complains, "I have a killer headache... and not the kind of killer that I'd prefer right now".
"And what's up with the suicidal prisoner?" Don asks as he pulls the sack off of Ruby's face, exposing her identity.
"Oh hell" Ruby says, "there better not be any natural light when I open my eyes! This migraine is going to make me go blind from pain".
"What... the hell?" Don asks. "A Mage? How... why? Why do you have a Mage?".
"Jesus Tap Dancing Christ!" Ruby yells, "one question at a time! What part of killer headache do you not understand?".
"How did you get captured?" Don asks. "A Mage... of all people!".
"Didn't you have a better question to ask?" Vivi asks. "You seemed so uptight about it that you even pulled a gun on Siran. Zia still has her gun to your head, so if you don't start sorting things out now, your brains will become the new paint job of that wall over there. I'm sure even Ruby here can help you answer that question".
"I really don't feel like answering questions, to be honest" Ruby says, "but seeing as how there's people with guns and I'm tied up and all, I guess I don't have a choice... so you said something about returning hero or something?".
"Yeah" Don says, "Who is Siran for real?".
"He's the war criminal" Ruby says.
"THE war criminal?" Don asks, confused.
"You know" Ruby asks, "the one from the stories? The one who fought Naris? This couldn't possibly have slipped your mind... it's one of the biggest events in history".
"So he's..." Don begins to ask.
"About 200 years old, yes" Ruby says.
"That's not what I was about to ask" Don says, "but... I mean... that means". Don then drops his gun in surprise as he realizes "my men picked a fight with THE war criminal".
"Wow" Ruby says as she begins to giggle, "they did? That's pretty stupid".
Zia slowly lowers her gun as Vivi asks "So, all settled down now? Are we all clear here?".
"But how did they take one of The Mages?" Don asks.
"To be fair" Ruby says, "I kind of let them capture me".
"Why?" Don asks.
"I was hoping they'd kill me" Ruby says.
"BUT WHY!?" Don asks, getting even more confused.
"I don't want to be a part of The Mages Guild" Ruby says. "Never wanted to be, really".
"But then the guild will just replace you with someone potentially worse" Don says.
"Won't be my problem" Ruby says.
"If you don't want to be one of them" Siran says, getting exhausted, "then why not help take them down and just go your separate way when it's all done".
"Tempting" Ruby says, "I'll be honest, but I have several personal issues with that. Like, I don't feel like betraying my whole country, I don't feel like working with idiots, I don't actually like any of you, I don't feel like doing any work I don't need to do, and since my career in the military is basically over; I now have nothing left".
"Nothing left?" Siran asks. "What do you mean?".
"I mean" Ruby says, "I don't have anything left in life to hold onto and I'm not about to share my personal story with a bunch of... outlaws".
"That's fair" Alex says.
"Are you sure there isn't anything we can do to change your mind about that?" Siran asks. "I'm not here to dismantle your country or kill all of The Mages. I'm just here to take out the ones in power that shouldn't be in power".
"And killing half of the military in the process" Ruby adds.
"Yeah" Siran says sarcastically, "because I'm sure all the soldiers would be willing to talk it over with a cup of tea...".
"You've got me there" Ruby says.
"Look" Siran says, "I'm not going to say we're not the bad guys. Not only because that's subjective, but also because we really are the bad guys here. Like a necessary evil, if you will. But I didn't come out of hiding to let people get out of life by killing themselves and letting the world rot in their absence. I came out of hiding to help people stand up for themselves".
"You're talking like The Mages are just a group of bullies..." Ruby says. Siran looks over to his right and nods his head to show that he does in fact believe that's a good summarization of The Mages Guild. "I guess you've got me there again" Ruby replies.
"On to the other thing I wanted to ask you" Siran continues. "What were The Mages doing with all that endo from Naris's body?".
"Wait..." Don says.
"Do what?" Finn asks.
"Come again?" Vivi asks.
"With who!?" Rose asks.
Siran looks around the room and realizes he never mentioned that to his own team before in detail. "I'm not entirely sure" Ruby says. "I know that they had extracted his remains from the desert and that they were also using the endo he left behind to increase their own force. That is, until you came by and stole the rest of it".
"And that's what's causing your current condition?" Alex asks.
"Yup" Siran says. "Did you take any of the endo?".
"I did" Ruby says. "I'm not sure what else they planned to do with it though. I mean, there's a lot. Like... a whole lot more".
"Where!?" Siran asks.
"You... didn't know?" Ruby asks. "I assumed that's why you guys attacked the city".
"Oh shit" Siran says as he facepalms himself. "That's what they were so focused on protecting in Omnium Guild!? That's what was in that building!?".
"I mean... yeah" Ruby says, "that should've been obvious".
"And they haven't told you their plan at all?" Siran asks.
"Garreth and James keep most things a secret" Ruby says, "even from us. They don't trust us, they just use us. I mean, that's not even a secret. They make it pretty obvious".
"How many of you are there that don't want to follow James and Garreth?" Siran asks.
"Most of us didn't want to" Ruby says, "but by now, they've all probably sold themselves to James and Garreth for power. The only one I'd say would probably be worth saving is the new guy, Kyle Ross. He's probably the only one who hasn't been tainted by those two yet".
"And you?" Alex asks.
"I told you, I've already lost this game of life" Ruby says. "I'm not worth saving".
"That's a good enough reason to help you in my opinion" Siran says.
"Why are you so insistent on helping someone who has nothing?" Ruby asks. "I won't be useful to anyone anymore".
"Because I was just like you!" Siran shouts. Siran took a deep breath and said calmly, "I was just like that before the world became like... like this. If you have nothing else or no one else to fight for... then don't you think it's time you finally fought for yourself?".
Ruby's head hung low as she began thinking to herself. "We were all like that at least once" Zia says. "We're not much different, and Siran can see that. That's why he wants to help. You're no longer our enemy... and now, you need the help more than anyone".
"I mean, Siran's still dying" Finn says, "I think he might actually need the help".
Ruby begins laughing quietly to herself, then begins laughing loudly. "You're dying!?" She asks. "That's a freaking riot! You're over here, letting your life drain like this, trying to help people you don't know... people who were trying to kill you. Exactly how ridiculous can you get? I'm actually embarrassed that The Mages have had any trouble with you up until this point".
"It is what it is" Siran says.
"So... how?" Ruby asks.
"How what?" Siran asks.
"How are you dying and how do you plan on helping me?" Ruby asks. "And I mean actually helping me. Taking down the Guild is one thing, but finding someone a purpose in life... that's a whole other kind of business".
"Remember when I took in the rest of that endo from Naris's body?" Siran asks. "I'm sure Agatha told everyone all about it. No human body can handle that much endo. It's slowly tearing up my body from the inside. Even I can't fix it, because the endo regenerates itself. The first time I absorbed endo from Naris's body, it was killing me until my body became partially fused with the endo itself. Because of the endo's properties, my body regenerates itself at a steady pace, which keeps my body from aging. However, even I can't handle more endo, and it's overflowing and tearing up my body to escape. As for how I'm going to help you, that part is up to you. I can't do everything for you. No matter how much power one person can attain, no one can solve every problem. You just need the time and support to find your place in life".
"Heh heh..." Ruby laughs a little, "maybe that's true".
"You probably want some time to think about it" Siran says as he walks closer to Ruby. Siran then unties Ruby And looks her in the eyes. "Just know that whatever choice you make here, I won't blame you for it. However, even if you don't think so, you still have something to lose. You can always lose more. So take your time thinking about what you really want". Siran then leaves the basement and soon everyone follows after him. Everyone except Ruby, who stayed in the basement alone. Untied, but unwilling to move.
"Will it be okay to leave her there like that?" Rose asks. "What if she makes... the wrong choice?".
"The choice is hers to make" Siran says, "and if you really take the time to think about something and stick to what you think is right, there is no wrong choice. Some people choose to walk to left path, others the right path. Just because their answers are different doesn't make either of them wrong".
"I'm still processing that not only did my men pick a fight with the... hero or whatever YOU guys want to call him" Don says, "but also that we're working with that same hero. How did things come to this?".
"Magic" Siran says as he laughs.
"Make another pun like that and I'll run you over with a lawnmower" Don says. "So what now?".
"I might go forward with my plan on exposing myself to the world" Siran says.
"Gross" Finn says.
"I swear to all that is considered holy" Zia says, "one more joke like that and you'll never reproduce".
"... aaaanyways" Siran says, "if Ruby does end up helping out, we may have the advantage of letting the world know who I am. News of a Mage falling, or leaving the Guild spreads fast, but if we can beat the spread of news then we may be able to use her former authority to broadcast it on television all over the country. Once that happens, the news of The War Criminal Siran would spread across the world quickly. From there, we may gain more supporters. If we can gain enough support, we may even be able to ally with other militaries. Once that can be initiated, they can keep the soldiers occupied as we try to compose ways to expose the current Guild as a group of tyrannical leaders. It's a double edged sword, but it may give us the upper hand at getting to attack right at the heart of the problem".
"So the plan for now?" Alex asks.
"Should we take this time to relax?" Rose asks.
"Yeah, we haven't had a chance to explore Vega before" Satomi says. "I would like a chance to see what this place is like".
"It's a beautiful city" Zia says, "it's just full of assholes, so be careful".
"That shouldn't be a problem" Mikoto says, "Because Satomi can be violent when she needs to and also we're already assholes".
"I'm going back to bar" Demetri says. "Not that I'm obsessed with alcohol, I just don't like this place. So I shall be getting drunk until I have no idea where I am".
"I wanna go to a casino" Robin says.
"Absolutely not" Tanya says, "you're too young for that".
"I don't remember you being my mom" Robin says.
"Might as well be" Tanya says, "Because your current parents are crap".
"So... break time it is then" Siran says, avoiding the awkward conversation.
"Now I have to head back to my hideout" Don says, "and warn my men about Ruby. If they see her anywhere, I need to instruct all of them to not kill her while she's with you".
"That'd be a big help" Siran says. "I'm going to bed. It has been a very long day".
"I'm going to head back home" Tanya says. "I spent Christmas with my daughter and came back to see you guys yesterday. It's only the 27th now that it's passed midnight, but I do need to be there for my child. It really has been a long day".
"Say hello to Ali for me" Don says.
"You know I can't do that Donny" Tanya says. "She can't know I'm involved with a gang or The Six Guns".
And so everyone split up to do their own thing. The next day arose and the entire crew, with the exception of Tanya and Demetri, woke up at the hotel right outside of Shark City. It was a quiet afternoon when everyone finally woke up. That is until, a knock was heard on the door. When Siran went to open the door, they found non other than Ruby at the entrance.
"I decided" Ruby says, "that I want you to show me what you're doing and why. I haven't decided if I'm going to work with you or not, so you better be convincing on your next outing".
"That's... good to hear" Siran says, "but how did you get here without stirring up trouble?".
"Oh..." Ruby asks, "we weren't supposed to stir up trouble?".
As Siran walks outside, there's several members or several different gangs surrounding the building. Each with different weapons in hand, prepared to use them. "Uhh... how did you get here?" Siran asks.
"I walked... how else?" Ruby asks.
One of the gang members shoots at Ruby, but Ruby blocks it with a digital shield without even looking. Suddenly, cars pull up to the crowd of gangsters and Wolf Pack members step out and point guns at the rest of the gangsters. The last person to step out of the car was Don, who said "These guys are with us. If you harm either of them, you'll have to deal with us".
Slowly, the rest of the gangsters put their guns away and leave. "Huh..." Siran says, sounding impressed, "maybe we can be friends after all, Don".
Don coughs a couple times and says "Sorry, just had a little... vomit in my mouth".
"Yeah yeah, I get it" Siran says.
"So, you're okay with me tagging along for your next mission?" Ruby asks, crossing her arms. "I likely won't be helping, but instead I'll be observing you. After all, I need to lay low anyways. No one will want to leave a rogue Mage alive".
"I'm fine with that" Siran says, "and I understand. Don't worry".
"Can I... come in?" Ruby asks. "It's cold as hell out here, and I want to sit down".
"Oh, sure" Siran says as he opens the door and lets Ruby inside the hotel. "So where's Demetri?" Siran asks Ruby.
"He passed out at the bar" Ruby says. "I figured I'd just leave him there, so whatever...".
Rose was fixated on Ruby the entire time. Everywhere she went, Rose watched her.
"What's her deal?" Ruby asks.
"She probably doesn't trust you, like the rest of us" Alex says.
"THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!" Rose shouts.
"... What?" Ruby asks.
"I believe she's referring to your names?" Zia says. "Her first name is Rose, your last name is Blackrose... that's my guess at least".
"Well, she has pink hair" Ruby says, "and I have red hair. It should be pretty easy to tell the difference between us".
"You'll get used to each other eventually" Siran says.
"I call bullshit" Alex says, "I've spent almost two years with Siran and he still exceeds all my expectations".
"Aw, thank you" Siran says.
"I never thought a single person could be this hilariously awkward and stupid before" Alex continues, "but Siran definitely takes the cake".
"Ah... thank you, Alex" Siran says in disappointment.