Author's Notes:
Holy crap, I cannot believe how popular this story is. I mean, 30+ followers with only one chapter?! Who could've guessed?! Like, no, really. Thanks so much, everyone! I'm glad you're liking how things are panning out so far. To be honest I was kind of scared with how you'll all take it. The first chapter really is... "intense", for a lack of a better word. It starts off with a bang, and it ends with a cliffhanger-ish bang, and it's the exact opposite of the kind of stories I'm used to writing.
This chapter is important to the main story (Well, all of the chapters are important to the story, I wouldn't put them in the story if they weren't), but this one's vital (pun intended). It shows more of what's going on "behind the curtains". I don't think it's anything special, really (the mysteries of the base, I mean).
PS, the title of this chapter is actually one of my beta's recommendations when naming this story. So... thanks, Foxy!
Beta:
FeugoFox42. Check out his work, they are amazing and are worth your time ^^
CHAPTER II
Love Potion No. 9
Her landing was safe and soundless as she jumped through the window. When her feet touched the platform, she lowered her body into a crouch. She couldn't afford to have anyone see her, after all.
One would think that jumping into a building like this was insane and dangerous, but when the only other way of getting inside was through a guarded front door… you really had no choice.
Blake's eyes squinted as she tilted her head to look back on the window again, catching the distinctive figure of her partner - the thick mane that glowed in the night sky couldn't have belonged to anyone else and the choice of outfit that was too revealing for the frosty weather.
She motioned for Yang to come forward.
Yang gave a thumbs-up for the world to see.
Shit. Worried, Blake peeked down at the entrance. If they see her…
She sighed when none of the guards looked up at either she or her partner.
Well… we are pretty high up. They were in the upper level of the warehouse, close to being an attic, even.
Blake knew that Yang wasn't stupid - she got into Beacon off her own merit, that had to count for something - but she did have a tendency to lean towards the slightly more 'showy' entrances as opposed to the more favorable and practical one, even when she didn't want to…
Blake moved aside when the blonde took comically large steps back. Her ears picked up the sound of running footsteps… which was then replaced by a faint but noticeable sound of a high-pitch shriek of a teenage girl as Yang leaped.
A figure burst through the window, and, with the swiftness of a ninja, Blake caught her partner by the jacket before she fell, grunting and gripping the heavy girl with all her might.
Yang almost screeched again when she saw just how fucking high up they were and the fact that she almost fucking fell fifty or so feet down and only managed to clamp her mouth shut out of sheer fear of being found out.
She waited for the eventual pain that would come… and blinked her eyes open when it never came.
She found a pair of struggling amber eyes.
"Oh… Blake… Did you… Did you land on your feet?" Yang was shoved away. Thankfully, she managed to regain her balance and not fall, this time. Blake was unimpressed by her totally awesome joke, it seemed. "Thanks for catching me, though," she tried with her charming grin. Her response was a glare and a roll of the eyes.
Heh, she thought. What a grumpy kitty…
Wait, is that discriminatory…?
I'll probs ask someone about it.
… I should really pay attention before Blake does something reckless again.
"So, what's the verdict, doc?" she joked as she walked towards Blake, who was crouching, looking down to where a bunch of people were talking loudly to one another.
Yang's eyes widened.
Weapons were being placed on the tables. Some were held. And they all had one thing in common; they were all Faunus and they wore white masks with red stripes.
They're… They're the White Fang… Oh, shit, Yang quickly fished out her Scroll, taking a bunch of pictures and sending it to Goodwitch alongside their location with no hesitation.
Yang took a few silent steps, trying to look more closely.
Though she had neither night vision or superb hearing, she could clearly see one of the shelves lying down on the floor, and hear the hushed, upset whispers between each member.
There were a total of ten, maybe fifteen of them. And they seemed to be in distress.
"What do you think they're arguing about?" Yang asked, staring levelly at her partner.
Blake's eyes narrowed in thought and in more - in something the blonde didn't like. "I… I'm not sure…"
Seconds ticked by. Blake didn't make a move to retreat. She kept observing the organization. The organization she used to be a part of. The organization she'd been struggling to find for days. The organization she wanted to know more about…
A pit of dread grew in Yang's stomach.
"Blake…? We're done here, right?"
Blake couldn't answer. How could she? This was- This was something different, and potentially dangerous. She needed to know what this was. Why were they shouting? What had caused the shelf to go down? Did something happen? If so, then what?
Thousands of questions lingered in her head, clouding everything else. She knew the kinds of danger curiosity could lead to, but…
This was the White Fang. Or worse, this was an organization using the White Fang's name to do things that… that…
They had weapons. They were faunus. But they weren't the White Fang…
They were…
They were something worse…
She needed to find out. She had to.
"Fine… Let's do this."
Blake snapped her head to look at her partner, aghast. "Wait, what?"
Yang was indifferent. She wore a half-smirk and shrugged almost helplessly. "What? You have that face, that one where you're in the 'Blake Zone'." She blinked at the weird phrasing. Yang laughed. "You obviously want to find out more about what these guys are up to."
Blake blinked again, her bow-less ears twitching almost rapidly in confusion.
"You're... not gonna try and stop me?"
Yang leaned back and looked up. "It wouldn't work anyway," she said in a low whisper. "Plus," she turned to Blake, pumping her fists together, wearing that all-too-familiar confident grin, "you know how much I've been itching for a good fight. This'll be a good way for me to blow off some steam if we end up fighting."
Yang's confidence increased when Blake gave her that trusting smile. Her heartbeat also increased - in speed - when her partner put her hand on her shoulder, squeezing it a little.
"Thank you, Yang."
Yang pretended not to be flustered and waved a hand carelessly. "Yeah, yeah." Her smirk returned, one that managed to be carefree and serious. "So, what do you need?"
Blake observed her situation.
It would be nearly impossible for her to sneak in with that many guards cramped up in a rather small place… even if no one would see her, there still begs the question of what it is I'm looking for exactly…
Yang watched as the gears in Blake turned.
Suddenly, amber eyes lit up and even before Blake spoke, Yang knew she had an objective and a plan in mind.
"A distraction."
...
The guards stopped their whisperings when they heard a noise coming from the outside. One that sounded like it belonged to a teenage girl.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Please, I need help. I'm lost."
They blinked and looked at each other, suspicions growing. This place was abandoned to the public eye, why would anyone try to look for people here?
When the girl shouted more and more "Please"s and "Help"s, they realized they needed to confront this… nuisance.
They sent two of their men outside the entrance, raising their respective eyebrows at the peculiar sight of a girl with wild yellow hair wearing a large coat that covered her body. They scowled when she realized she was a human.
Of course, only a human would be dumb enough to try to step foot into this place…
They, members of a deadly, human-hating organization, had found a lost girl in a place where no one would hear or see them.
If there was one word they'd use to describe this girl… it would be helpless.
One of them - the bigger, older one who was a bear faunus - stuck an intimidating pose and grunted, "You shouldn't be here, Kid. This is private property."
The girl raised an eyebrow. "I thought this place was abandoned." The two of them narrowed their eyes. Stuck-up human. The human girl winced from their deadly gazes. "Oh, umm, this is gonna sound sorta... weird, but… can I... crash here for a while?"
The bear yelled a roaring "What?!" while the other - a rabbit faunus - could only stare at her with a hanging jaw, his large ears twitching. Just who is she?
The human winced harder. "Yeah, my sister and I are orphans, so we don't have any food or drinks or shelter, so can I stay here for the night?"
Was… was that supposed to make them sympathetic for this low-life human?
The other members began to surround them, wanting to be a spectacle of this unusual interaction.
"What about your sister?" the bear member asked, suspicious.
"Oh, don't worry about it, she's at Beac- dead!" she suddenly snapped, startling the two of them a little. "Yeah! She's dead! It's just me, all alone, with no sister! There is no sister! Or partner!"
"Wait- partner?"
"Exactly!" The human nodded quite vigorously. "No partner! Unless…" She turned towards the younger guard, eyes gleaming with a sense of knowing as she leaned towards him. He could only stare at her and notice just how hot she was… for a human. "Unless you want me to be your partner?... Just for the night?"
It took all of his willpower to keep himself from saying "Hell yeah!"
The older guard rolled his eyes and scoffed disgustedly. He then realized that… she posed no harm. She was just a helpless human girl. She wouldn't try anything, much less in a place filled with their kind. The other faunus obviously wanted to do things with her, as well…
"... Fine. You can stay." Not like it mattered anymore. Not like anybody cared anymore. He grabbed her by the collar, pulling her much shorter body up so she could look at him dead in the eyes. "But if you tell anyone about us, you're dead."
There was no ounce of fear in the girl's lilac eyes, yet she creased her brow and whimpered, "Oh, oh no, that is scary…I am… scared shitless…"
Oh, he really hated this human.
...
Luckily, the cold wasn't so bad indoors. Blake hadn't shivered once, even though she wasn't wearing Yang's coat.
She missed the soft and cozy fabric of her partner's coat, but as reluctant as she was to give it back, she knew it was the right thing to do; Yang needed to hide her bracelets and the fact that she was immune to the cold due to her semblance, and wearing a cloak would do just that.
Plus, Yang's outfit was too... revealing to have looked normal…
Blake scoffed when she heard Yang using a more high-pitched, squeaky, weak voice.
You're overdoing it, Yang.
How had she had come across such a dramatic partner, again? Worst of all; how had she come to like her?
But the distraction worked - as crazy at it seemed - and that was all that mattered… in fact, the distraction worked really well when half of the members walked outside to check for the commotion, leaving only six or so guards.
She shook her head. Yang, you beautiful, reckless idiot.
Blake made no sound as she slipped through the shelves and corridors, using her surroundings to mask her shelves.
Blake didn't move around the shadows.
She was the shadow.
With so few guards actually being inside of the building, and all of their focus distracted by the odd blonde human who insisted she stayed at this dangerous place filled with criminals, it was easy for her to get to her objective:
What might be considered a secret door if it wasn't so badly-hidden.
Nonetheless, doors that were intended to be hidden meant that they had things to hide.
Secrets.
And Blake intended to find it all out.
She opened the door - relieved that it wasn't locked - but failed to take a step. Not yet.
She wanted to make sure her partner was alright first before she went in.
To her relief, Yang was doing fine. Sort of. Her partner was… improvising. The other guards didn't seem to believe her story… but they weren't suspicious either, not really. They were all just confused. And she supposed it was better than suspicion.
Her eyes widened when Yang leaned towards one of the guards suggestively, smirking in a way that promised indecency.
Her heart ached and her body burned. Blake gritted her teeth but forced herself to calm down and look at the reality of the situation. She was in the middle of a mission. She had no time for this… whatever this is.
It's only part of the distraction, she told herself realistically. Nothing more.
After all, as flirtatious as Yang could be at times, even she had standards. Blake knew for a fact that criminals were obviously beneath those standards.
Blake gulped and fully opened the door, revealing stairs that led down into the abyss.
She took one soundless step. Then another. Then another.
Down to the rabbit hole, we go.
Even her night vision didn't allow her to see as clearly as she'd liked. The stairs never stopped appearing. She was going further down than she'd liked. It scared her.
And then it was no longer pitch black.
She had arrived in some kind of large basement… There were barely any lamps, and they all shone such dim lighting. Blake squinted her eyes, trying to find out exactly what she was looking at-
Blake covered her nose with her hand, not able to suppress her groan of distaste at that awful smell. It was faint, so faint that no humans would be able to smell it. But, unfortunately for her, she was no human.
What even is that smell? For the life of her, she had never picked up on such… weirdness.
But then her disgust was swept away… replaced by something far worse…
Blake had found the missing faunus…
And they…
They were locked up in prison cells.
"What…?"
...
Now that Yang was inside, the scary, abandoned warehouse didn't seem so scary at all… nor did it even looked abandoned.
While she wouldn't call it spotless, it did look well-maintained.
This place reminded her of Beacon's training grounds, with weapons lined up, ready to be used. There were a couple of different-sized target practices, and punching dummies as well.
She had to wonder; was this what every criminal base looked like?
… She then erased that question from her head, praying that she'd never find out.
Though she had to admit, it was interesting to see how the White Fang behaved when they weren't trying to beat her to death.
Most of them were simply… talking or just… chilling.
Focus on the mission, the more responsible part of her spoke. Try and find out exactly what these guys are up to.
The only thing she knew was that something had happened that had caused the shelf to drop down. And that could've been caused by anything ranging from a large, terrifying weapon or a member who'd thrown a tantrum.
She turned towards one of the members - it was the bear faunus from before - and asked, "So… what are you guys doing here, anyway?"
He didn't bother looking at her. "Quiet."
"Hey now, it's just a question."
Now he turned to look at her, and boy did he look pissed. "A question you shouldn't be asking," he growled out, puffing out his chest in a weak attempt to look intimidating.
Puh-leez, I could beat you up without breaking a sweat. But that's not what Blake wants me to do… Dammit.
Yang pretended to be frightened and scooted away from him, less out of fear and more out of not wanting to cause a scene.
She was here to investigate, not create a ruckus… even when all of these dudes were criminals who deserved to be beaten up…
After aimlessly walking around - and attempting not to glare back at the members who glared at her - she found one member who she knew didn't hate her as much as the others did; the rabbit she'd flirted with.
Bingo!
If anyone could tell her anything, it's gotta be him! He's the guy!
She faked nonchalance as she put her hands in her pockets, leaning towards him and wearing a smile too sweet to be genuine. She fluttered her eyelashes and asked, "Did something happen?" She gestured towards the shelf.
She tried to pretend like she didn't know he was staring at her chest and was sleazily grinning at it.
"It's… complicated."
She cocked her head to the side, leaning even more, brushing her own fingers against his. "You know you can tell me about it, right?"
… Blech. She seriously hoped all of this was worth it.
"It's just… One of us couldn't take it anymore."
"Take what anymore?" C'mon, give me something useful here. When he didn't answer, she prodded even more. "This can't be nothing. I mean, even I can't just drop a shelf like that." She quickly realized her mistake and fixed it. "And I'm sure even one of your strongest guys couldn't lift it."
With aura, maybe they could. But… She was confident none of these guys had an unlocked aura, and even so, it was still a big 'maybe'.
The problem wasn't just that the shelf was lying down horizontally, it was that there were still things being stacked up in the shelf… 'Things' being copper, steel; all sorts of metal objects. Heavy objects. And they were still inside the shelf.
She wasn't kidding when she said she wasn't strong enough to do such a thing.
This… This meant that there was someone right here - or maybe something - who was stronger than her. Much stronger. And she was starting to regret wanting to help out with one of her partner's shenanigans and coming here in the first place-
Yang caught something out of her peripheral vision.
"Hey… What is that?" she murmured, walking closer towards the shelf, seeing that 'something' becoming clearer and clearer.
"It's nothing," someone warned, but she didn't listen, she didn't care-
Yang stopped.
Three lines, etched on the outer end of it, heavily denting the metal to the point of no repair.
"Holy shit- is that a fucking-"
"That's it!"
Yang was being lifted up again. It was the bear faunus from before. She told herself to not make a scene, don't make a fucking scene or else this will all be over no matter how much she wanted to beat him to death.
She really wanted to punch him in the face. Or kick him in the ass. Either worked.
"Hey, c'mon dude, she-"
"Why the hell are we keeping her here, anyway?!" he growled out.
"You know why!" the rabbit answered calmly despite the heat of the situation.
Yay. My hero.
"Fine, but if anything goes wrong-"
"Then I'll kill her."
… Hey, what the hell, Hero?!
Yang clamped her mouth shut and fought to keep her eyes from glowing red as the asshole strode away.
Pssh, he doesn't matter anyway. No one in this place does.
And they never would.
The real danger wasn't that they would kill her. These douches wouldn't lay a finger on her.
No. It wasn't them.
It was…
It was the claw mark she'd found on the shelf.
The claw mark…
Blake had told her this particular branch was shadier than the rest, more unpredictable, and, potentially, more dangerous...
Just…
Just what have we gotten ourselves into, Blake?
But as much as she hated to admit it, Yang had done her part, and now all she had to do was wait for Blake. Wait for what, exactly? She herself didn't even know.
Dammit!
Yang wanted to call for help, but with all of these people watching her, and the potential of Blake being caught and getting dragged to whatever had caused that huge claw mark… she couldn't take that chance.
She couldn't take any chance other than to sit and wait and look pretty.
… Double dammit!
...
"Hey! Wake up!"
Blake rattled the bars, cursing when none of them stirred.
She'd checked, and she was correct; they were the missing faunus. No doubt about it. Their profiles matched. Each and every one of them.
But why are they being locked up in here? This doesn't make any sense!
Her ears picked up murmurings from somewhere behind her. They were still far, but she only had a few seconds if she wanted to hide again.
She considered using her weapon to slash off the bars, but that would make too much noise, and she couldn't afford to make any noise that could be heard by anyone other than her. She had to stay quiet until she had a solid plan. And, right now, she had none other than to freak out.
The prisoners were unwell. She could tell they hadn't eaten or drank or gotten sunlight enough because it showed. It was hard to see in this lighting, but she knew their skin was pale and they were sweating despite the weather. Bones began to poke out of their ribs…
Blake wasn't sure if they'd make the night… It was cold and- and even she couldn't handle the weather…
She needed to get them out.
Now.
"I apologize for letting one of our test subjects escape."
Blake's heart skipped a beat, but that was her only delay. In a blur of black, she hid in one of the corners, blending in, becoming the darkness.
"She hardly escaped," another voice rang out.
The footsteps grew louder and louder. So did Blake's heartbeat.
She saw the shadows first.
Then, it was the familiar mask of white and red.
Then, she saw the rest.
Two people walked, one following the other. The follower was a dog faunus who wore the same uniform as the other White Fang member.
He didn't catch her attention.
The other one did.
The fox faunus.
Unlike the rest, he didn't wear a White Fang suit. He wore a lab coat.
There was something… off about him. Something within his aura that made Blake knew that he was the one in charge. That he was the leader of this branch. That, whatever twisted, sick things that they were doing, he was the one who suggested the idea…
"But you're right," the fox continued, walking towards the cell as the other stopped walking. He stopped as well when he was near the bar, sliding his fingers against the old bars. "We need to upgrade our security, and… we can't raise any suspicions either. No noise should escape this warehouse. We can't afford to relocate our base, not with what we're bringing."
That last part raised all kinds of alarms in Blake's head.
She tried to search for her Scroll - just to know if it was right here with her and that she could call for help at any given moment - and sighed when she felt its weight.
She… She wasn't alone in this. Yang was right here with her, even when she was technically above her.
"Of course, Sir."
The fox turned, and for a brief moment, his gaze was directed at where she was hiding. Right into her eyes. And those coal black eyes narrowed.
Her heart didn't beat and she couldn't breathe.
Yet he acted like nothing was wrong as he regarded the other faunus, his back against the bars of the prison, unbothered by what was in it.
"Something troubles you." It wasn't a question.
The dog shifted. "I… fear one of our own has ratted us out or is close to doing so. You see, the more we experimented, the more they became… fearful. Fearful of what we're trying to create. At first, I thought nothing of it. But it has become increasingly hard not to notice their distress."
Experimented. Fearful. Create.
These words pounded in Blake's head.
The fox sighed and massaged his temples. He didn't look upset. In fact, he looked almost… resigned.
"I see… Well, I shall have a talk with each of them personally. For now, gather all of our brothers. I want them to have no fear, and to state explicitly that the subject did not escape. They have nothing to worry about. And we are one step closer to achieving our goal."
"Of course, Sir."
The dog faunus left.
Blake's breathing became heavier as she considered her options - weighing them and the consequences.
This- This wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't what she'd expected. She'd expected weapons. Illegal and highly dangerous weapons that would be used against the public, not faunus being kidnapped and used as test subjects for Dust-knows-what! No. No. She- she wasn't ready for this.
She could just call Professor Goodwitch - her professor, along with the more experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses, would know what to do! And she and Yang could just get out of here! It was the safer option. It was- It was the right option.
"Huntress," the fox spoke, and everything slowed down, "I know you-"
Blake moved.
She cast a shadow clone that drew her weapon and attacked. He, as expected, tried to block it with his bare arms out of instinct. The clone disappeared, and the real her was at his right, her arms that held Gambol moving-
-only to double over as he delivered a swift kick to her stomach.
She jumped back far away before he could land another hit.
They stood face-to-face, their distance preventing them from being able to attack each other.
The situation dawned on her.
She had been caught.
No…
This man, whoever he was, must be experienced. It was hard to read him due to her own distress.
Maybe he wasn't as strong as her or as fast, but Blake knew he must have some form of combat experience, otherwise, he wouldn't pose such a threat and be able to lead.
Blake's thoughts were jumbled and inconsistent.
Her eyes darted back to the prisoners, the innocent faunus who never wanted this, who was… who was experimented on like- like animals…
Blake needed a key to let them out. She didn't have one. But he did.
"Let them go."
Civilly negotiating with an enemy wasn't something she was fond of, but it had to be done. The prisoners were her priority, not him.
These people… They weren't fed properly, if at all. But more than that they were experimented on, and… whatever it was that was being pumped into their system… it needed to be flushed out. As soon as possible. Before it's too late.
The awful smell… Blake only now realized it came from the man in front of her, on the small bag he held. Whatever was in that bag… it was dangerous.
They needed help.
Getting them - and she herself along with Yang - out was the smart move, not fighting him.
The fox caught her eye and grinned.
Then, he fished an object out of his pockets; a key.
Blake meekly gasped, the grip of her weapon loosening as her shoulders slumped just a little.
His grin grew.
He put back the key. "No can do. They're mine."
She burned with rage but kept it all away, knowing that getting emotional in this type of situation would never do any good. She swallowed, looked at the prisoners as her brows furrowed before staring at him again. "What the hell are you even doing to them?!"
He was unfazed. "Nothing bad."
"Nothing bad?!" she echoed incredulously. "They're unconscious! And they're going to die if you keep pumping up drugs in their system! What is wrong with you!? Why are you doing this to our own kind?!"
The smug grin was wiped off from his face. He looked offended. "I'm trying to make us stronger, faster, better." Even though he looked and talked in a calm manner, Blake knew he was anything but.
Blake's eyes narrowed into slits. The rage burned inside her, but this time, she let it.
Negotiating was no longer an option. Even if it still was… she didn't want to take it. Not with someone like him.
"You're insane," she hissed.
His eyes narrowed as he took a fighting stance akin to boxing.
The hands clutching her weapon tightened.
He smirked, mocking her.
And…
They began.
It was Blake who moved first, summoning another clone to 'attack' him, then two more, just to throw him off-guard. They danced around him, throwing punches and kicks which he avoided.
The clones were meant to disorientate him and they did.
He aimlessly punched and kicked, wanting to take any chance of hitting her who he assumed was the real her. But they all avoided his every attack.
The real Blake waited at a distance with uneased nerves.
She waited, holding her breath, already taking an attacking stance…
And then she took her opportunity, striking him with her swords. His aura kept him from bleeding, but it didn't keep him from being thrown back out of the collision's impact.
She didn't give him a chance to recover and struck again. Once. Twice. Thrice.
She kept attacking, showing no mercy.
She could hardly call this a fair fight.
She was in her prime, and he was not.
She came here cautious of a fight - prepared to deliver one - and he was not.
Under a more normal circumstance, she was certain he would be able to defeat her.
And because of that, she was glad this was no normal circumstance.
The element of surprise was the only thing keeping her from losing this battle…
It was also what eventually led to him falling down to the ground face-first, his Aura depleted as his forehead bleeding from the impact. He was conscious but in too weak of a state to be standing up, much less attack her.
He wasn't able to stop her from getting the key and using it to open the rusty metal door.
Blake ran inside, not wanting to waste any more time.
They looked worse now that she was closer.
She fought nausea away as she realized that these people - people who only wanted to live peaceful normal lives - had been… had been…
She shook one of them, and, to her relief, he stirred.
"Hey," she whispered almost soothingly. "I'm here to get you out."
The others began to stir as well. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Good. They were all alive. With practiced hands, she released their cuffs as they began to move to sit down, some even managing to stand up on their own as she thought of what her next course of action was.
She couldn't get the prisoners out themselves- there were still White Fang members upstairs. Maybe she could call Yang- or maybe Goodwitch directly.
Yeah. Yeah. That was what she should do. Call the authorities.
Blake grabbed her Scroll and began to swipe down her contacts, wishing that there were any signal this far down underground-
"Stop moving."
Blake's breath hitched, not because of the fox's voice, but because, at the same time, all of the prisoners stopped moving.
She turned to him, slowly, afraid that something would happen. All of her instincts told her to run, to get the hell out of here, but she wasn't willing to. She didn't want to abandon these innocent faunus.
The fox was now propped up on his elbow and was staring at her with an unreadable expression.
"What are you-"
"Bring her down."
Heavy hands were pressed against her and she was sent stumbling into the hard floor on her back. She yelled in pain and tried to get up but couldn't because of the weight.
Blake looked up- eyes shrinking in a great sense of fear and confusion when she realized…
It was the prisoners who were holding her down.
The people she'd tried to save.
Blake shook herself out of her trance, trying to get up, growing more and more panicked when she couldn't do so. They were holding her from all directions - each and every one of them. These prisoners- they couldn't be this strong- they were just normal civilians- why were they this strong!?
It was like a mountain had been dropped on her, rendering her unmoving even as she fought with all of her might.
Their unusual strength wasn't what scared her the most, though…
No…
It was…
It was their appearance… Their appearance that had radically changed in just a few seconds and was still changing.
Their eyes were bleary and unseeing. Fangs poked from their teeth. Hair that hadn't been there before covered their arms and legs and even parts of their face. They looked like animals.
They looked like beasts. Like monsters.
Blake yelped in pain when their nails- no, their claws sunk deeper into her skin, penetrating through her aura like it was nothing, weakening her. They grazed her body.
She flailed and tried to gain her breath back even as she bled and bruised.
Yet ultimately, it was futile.
A figure stood on top of her. Her vision was blurry but she could tell he was the fox, the madman who orchestrated all of this. There was a thrill of excitement gleaming in his eyes. It made her stomach feel heavy.
"Stop resisting. One of them is stronger than you and I combined. I doubt you'll be able to fend them off."
She glared and, through gritted teeth, spat, "Fuck. You."
This might be her end.
He might kill her or worse, but she didn't care at this point.
Every muscle in her ached.
Her breath was weak and short. Her heartbeat was so, too.
If… If this really was the end for her…
Then, dammit, she wasn't going to let it end on a weak note.
She hoped the others wouldn't miss her too much…
She hoped Yang wouldn't miss her too much either… Even when a part of her wanted Yang to cry over her.
He kneeled right above her. His eyes piercing through hers. She stared at him without flinching. She wouldn't let herself cower under his gaze. She was too proud for that.
Without warning, he grabbed her by the hair, pulled, then pushed down with brute strength, her head colliding against the ground.
It hurt.
It hurt.
It hurt.
"There. Now you stop moving around."
Her skull felt like it was cracking and splitting. Her body twisted and contracted against her will - yet these hands kept on pressing, increasing the pressure bit by bit. She couldn't move.
She opened her mouth but wasn't able to hear her own screaming. Her ears rang too loudly.
She tried to see, but could only make out blurry silhouettes. Like blobs of shapes and colors.
She tried to make sense of his words, but she couldn't comprehend all of them.
Then the ringing stopped and her sense of hearing cleared.
"... A powerful Huntress… You say I'm insane, Huntress. But when you get a taste of it, you'll know the only thing insane is Remnant itself."
The ringings went back again. He continued to speak, but she couldn't make sense of his words anymore. Nor anything, really.
But through the ringing, she was able to hear shuffling… and then the sound of a bag being zipped open…
She was passing out and she knew it.
She didn't try to fight anymore, not because she'd given up, but because she simply couldn't move them. Not even a finger.
Everything darkened, like a curtain being pulled over reality.
Yang…
No…
I never got to tell her…
The last thing Blake sensed before she passed out was a stinging pain on her neck.
TO BE CONTINUED
News:
Hey everyone! Do you want to read the next chapter now and support me with my writing at the same time? If not, then that's alright! If so, then thank you and please check out my site:
P a treon . com (slash) ClementineDavidson
I promise it's not unreasonably expensive.
I know my current page isn't that amazing, but I'm only starting out and… well… I'd love for you to help me reach my goal so I can write stories as not just a hobby :)
Author's Notes:
Yeah, I know it's a bit weird how easily the guards just let Yang waltz in. But not only is it actually essential to the plot, but I wanted to sprinkle in a little bit of comedy in there too. Sorry if it felt too out of place, but hey, Yang's main purpose on this mission is a distraction, so it's actually in-character for her to have fun a little with her role as the helpless damsel.
And also, hooray... OC villain... very original. No, wait, but really though, I hate OCs as much as you do, I know they suck, but trust me, I've tried putting in the show's villains in the plot and, well... none of them fits.
Roman Torchwick? He does work for the White Fang, but why would he experiment on people? That's too cruel for a glamorous thief like him.
Cinder? No, her motives simply don't align.
Salem? Why would she be working on a small-scale base like this?
Adam? Yeah, no. He can actually work if I tweak a few things here and there, but... I didn't want to include him in this story. Doing so would hamper too much with Blake and Yang's already complicated romance. Sorry, but there are already dozens of stories involving Adam. I'm tired of the same-old story. I want to try something new, I'm sure you do too.
So yeah, I have no choice but to put in an OC. Don't worry though, he's hardly the main focus in this story. Look, I didn't even give him a name! Other than the fact that he's a fox faunus and that he's insane, I won't put in any details surrounding him.
I promise, the OC villain won't be in the story too much. He's more of an input, a way for me to add more "umph!" to the story, spice things up. I made him 2-dimensional on purpose because not only does it make me easier to write him, but because he doesn't really affect the story much in the grand scheme of things. He's simply there because someone has to be there.
Tell me what you think of this chapter? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading my story and... goodbye~
