Hey everyone! I'm going out of town this weekend, so stayed up late to get this chapter out early! Enjoy!
Trying to keep noise to a minimum to avoid any unwanted surprises, progress was painstakingly slow. And even so they were too loud - making far too much noise. Blake was doing her best to pick out the best paths to take, but Ruby and Weiss were inevitably stumbling over logs or snapping branches in her wake. Each tiny sound of a twig breaking in half shot through Blake's nerves and echoed far too loudly in the quiet of the forest.
At this pace it was going to take far longer to reach Blake's hiding place than she'd originally calculated, but moving any faster would risk drawing Grimm their way. The last thing they wanted was to get into a battle all the way out here by themselves where the noise would only attract more Grimm to the area. And the deeper they traveled into the forest the more concentrated the Grimm would become…
This was why she should have gone alone - she'd known that back at the room. By herself, she could have moved at double the pace with half the amount of noise. That option had been taken from her, but...it was also nice to have the company...to not be alone when it felt like her world was collapsing in around her.
Conversation had died long ago - left at the very edge of the forest. The lack of words allowed Blake to keep her ears tuned for any sounds outside of the ones her teammates were making, hoping that she'd be able to sense a Grimm before it sensed them. Several times already her heart had jumped into her throat when she heard some sort of great beast lumbering nearby - crushing plants beneath its claws or growling in hunger. Ursa, most likely, prowling around the forest in search of food...or an unwitting huntress-in-training to snack on.
Thankfully, they'd been able to navigate around the creatures and avoid detection thus far, but there were a couple of instances where Blake was certain they were no more than a few yards away from a foraging Grimm.
While her heart beat rapidly trying to keep them safe, her mind was also racing - trying to plan one, two, three steps ahead of where they were now. They would get to the cave where Blake had hidden the tiny chip containing the information. She would go in alone - there would be no budging on that. They'd head back to Beacon and wait for Adam to contact them again. Unfortunately, that was as far as she could plan because Adam was, smartly, withholding information so she couldn't strategize further.
However, she could continue to slowly and intricately imagine his demise while maintaining her smoldering rage for what he was doing. Never - never had she thought she would see him again. When she'd left him on that train, she'd figured that would be it. But this...personally coming after her...intentionally trying to hurt her, to cause her emotional harm…
He probably thought that she owed him something, but she certainly didn't feel that way. They'd saved each other's lives more times than she could count. And while Adam might be a strong fighter, he'd needed her just as much as she had initially needed him. There were only so many instances where breaking down the front door would work. Sometimes a little more...finesse...was necessary. It was only after they'd begun working together that he'd started rising through the ranks of the White Fang - his natural leadership abilities finally being paid attention to. He'd helped train her, but she'd helped create the man he was today - for better or worse.
Holding up a hand for her teammates to stop, she glanced up and swiftly scaled the closest tree - legs propelling herself from branch to branch until she was ascending out of the low light of the forest floor and into the bright canopy of leaves. Eyes scanning the surroundings, she immediately found what she was searching for - a large mountain of rock rising above the treetops several miles away from them.
Satisfied that they were still on course, she swung rapidly to the ground, hands hardly grasping each branch before she released to fall down to the next level. Dropping the last twenty feet or so, she landed in a crouch - making no more noise than a slight rustle when several leaves blew away from her feet.
She'd once tried to teach Yang how to land silently, using the balls of her feet to cushion the fall…
"The very top of your feet, Yang."
"I...that's what I did!"
"Then why did it sound like a meteor just landed next door?"
"Hey! It wasn't that loud!"
"I guess I never asked, but do you keep bricks in the bottoms of your boots?"
"Pfft - Blake!"
"Or maybe weights sewn into your leggings? Or maybe - ...eh nevermind."
"...oh my god - you were going to make a boob joke!"
"I was not!"
"Then why are you blushingggg?"
"Ok, practice over. You're destined to be loud forever."
"Aww Blakeeee come onnn!"
But that had ended up being an epic failure, one which she'd never attempted again. Her Faunus heritage could have a lot to do with her stealthy capabilities, so maybe it had been a little unfair to expect someone as...heavy handed...as Yang to be able to pick it up perfectly.
Nodding her head in the direction they needed to go, she set off again with Weiss and Ruby in tow.
It took the better part of the next half hour before the trees began to grow further and further apart. The ground became rockier at the same time with bigger and bigger boulders popping up every few yards. While visibility increased, so too did the danger. Now they no longer needed to worry merely about being heard by a Grimm, but being spotted by one as well.
Casting a glance skyward, she searched for Nevermores - not wanting to give one the opportunity to swoop down as soon as they stepped out of the cover the trees were providing for them. Finding nothing but blue skies up ahead, she turned her eyes to the towering mountain of rock directly in front of them. It was jagged and imposing, as if the very rock served as the spines of a long slumbering Grimm lodged in the ground. The gray stone was shadowed in many areas, hinting at crevices and caves running throughout the giant ridge.
Someone could easily get lost exploring the area, but luckily she could already see exactly where they needed to go. The cave she'd picked wasn't ground level, but wasn't exceptionally high either. In fact, it wasn't difficult to get to the cave at all.
Trotting across the open expanse of flat ground before reaching the first outcroppings, she stopped behind a cluster of tall rocks that would serve as a good hiding space.
"You two wait here," she instructed, tearing her eyes away from her destination to give her teammates a pointed look. As expected, both girls opened their mouths to complain, but she silenced them with a shake of her head.
"This shouldn't take too long, just...don't make any noise," she said before pulling herself up onto the next level of rocky mountain and leaving the pair below.
Silence was the key to their survival right now…
After climbing up one more level, she crouched down to listen for any movement or noises coming from within the wide mouthed cavern lying in front of her. Thankfully, there was nothing. Nothing but the eerily cold breeze emitting from the dark space.
Her heart was beating loudly while she took deep breaths to remain calm and focused. Only when she was positive in her ability to remain silent did she creep towards the opening, slowly placing one foot in front of the other while passing from the relative safety of outside into the treacherous cave.
Several feet inside the doorway, right where the sunlight faded to darkness, there was a sudden ten foot drop-off. Unsuspecting explorers would surely not see it if they weren't blessed with Blake's level of low-light vision, and falling off that ledge would almost certainly be a fatal mistake. Standing right upon the edge, her eyes swept over the interior of the cave and found it exactly as she'd left it.
It was largely circular in shape and as big as Beacon's main auditorium with ceilings that reached nearly as high. The only entrance or exit was the one she'd just used, which would be nearly impossible to find once she dropped to the level below. And, as if fumbling around in a dark cave wasn't hazardous enough to one's health, the cavern floor below her feet was filled with Deathstalkers.
Dozens of them.
The beasts were currently sleeping - or whatever they did when not actively awake. Their red eyes were void of color and their stingers were a dull yellow in this powered down state, but that did nothing to make them any less terrifying.
Peering over the ledge, she found one directly beneath her feet and stepped quickly away. If she had jumped down from there, she would've landed squarely on its back. Moving to the left where the descent was clear, she took one silent, deep breath and hopped off the ledge to the rocky floor below.
Normally, she didn't focus when using her stealth capabilities, qualities that came naturally more often than not, but...this situation was a little too risky to do that.
Seriously, what had she been thinking hiding that chip in here? On the very back wall, too? Apparently, she'd never really planned to come back for it...Adam must be thrilled to see the danger he'd forced her back into.
Shoving the image of his smirking face far from her mind, she moved at a slow, deliberate pace while meticulously picking her way amongst the sleeping giants. One light footstep after another made no sound - no sound besides the slightly elevated pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.
Too bad Yang couldn't see this...she'd get a kick out of it for sure.
"Wait, you're telling me that those things sleep during the day?"
"Yup."
"Like, actually close all those beady red eyes and shut down?"
"Exactly like that."
"...how do you know this?"
"Well, I pay attention in class. And I've seen it."
"You've SEEN them sleeping? Like, you could've gone up and poked one in the eye?"
"Something like that…"
"Jeez, you never cease to amaze me."
"Hopefully, I'll never stop?"
"Please, you're the definition of mysterious and incredible and the absolute best partner in all of Beacon!"
"More shameless flirting, I see."
"Oh...uh, I can stop...if it makes you uncomfortable."
"No, Yang, I'm just teasing. Who would you flirt with if not me?"
"Other people?"
"...that wouldn't make me feel better."
Yup...she could definitely poke on in the eye right now...but that would definitely result in her immediate death. And then she would never see Yang again.
God, what an idiot she'd been...so determined to remain 'just friends' or 'just partners' or 'anything really, just not that' when Yang was so much more to Blake than any of those things. The most ridiculous part was that she'd known those feelings were there - that the tendrils of jealousy she felt when other students flirted with her partner pointed at deeper feelings of desire. Looking back, she'd just wasted time. Time they could have spent together.
Nearing the back wall, she focused her attention on finding the exact location she'd left the microscopic chip - a tiny crack in the wall that looked exactly the same as the thousands of other cracks surrounding it. But this particular one looked a little bit like the number '7'...still not entirely descriptive, but thankfully her memory served her well enough to find it after only a few seconds of peering through the dark.
Reaching her fingers blindly into the crevice, she fumbled around until she felt something plastic beneath her fingertips. Grasping it gently between two fingers, she pulled the small plastic case out and quickly glanced at it to confirm the chip was still safely inside before slipping it into her pocket and turning around to make her way back to the mouth of the cave.
Hard part down. Now she just needed to make it back outside, through the forest, and then find out where Adam was going to lead her next.
Though she might rather face all of these Death Stalkers than see Adam again.
One thing at a time. She needed to take this one action at a time. It was too easy to become emotionally compromised in these situations and make rash decisions or careless mistakes. If she focused on the task at hand, it would prevent her from thinking about Yang...that Adam had gotten his filthy paws on the most important -
Her feet paused abruptly, ears moving back and forth in an effort to find the source of the disturbance she'd just picked up in the air. A few heartbeats later and she began to hear it more clearly - the sound stirring her legs back into action, this time much faster than she'd been previously moving.
Noises - outside the cave entrance.
Hopping over a giant claw, she was just over halfway to the exit - but the air in the cavern had changed, growing almost restless with energy. And it could be her currently panicked existence playing tricks on her, but she could swear that the Deathstalkers were now shifting in their sleep.
What she'd thought to herself before - about how she'd rather fight these Deathstalkers than see Adam again - she really, really hadn't meant that.
Three quarters of the way there -
"Blake! We need to go!"
For a split second time stood still as Ruby's voice cut through what had once been tense silence within the cave. It was within that brief flicker of time that adrenaline - even more than Blake had already been filled with - flooded her system, setting every muscle aflame. Her legs broke into a sprint instantly, flying over claws while hundreds of shining red eyes suddenly flashed open and giant, poisonous stingers lit in a dangerous yellow.
Able to see much more clearly with the eerie red/gold glow in the cave, she ducked when a claw flew above her head and snapped where her neck had just been. The sound of a hundred feet skittering across rock filled her ears while she raced towards the exit, trying to outrun the monsters closing in on her from all sides.
Drawing Gambol Shroud, she leapt over the stinger that came hurtling towards her, slicing down at the tail of the creature while she sailed overtop. While still high in the air she blasted herself backwards and left a shadow of herself to take another stinger. Landing on the ledge in a crouch, she quickly stood and raced outside.
Cast suddenly into daylight, she found Weiss and Ruby in the midst of a battle of their own. A pair of Nevermores were circling overhead, crying out loudly to alert Grimm in the area that food had been found. A large group of Ursa lumbered menacingly out of the tree line in front of them with more and more gathering by the second. Of course, that was nothing compared to the stampede of Deathstalkers about to spill out of the cave behind her.
"Run!" she yelled towards her teammates, not slowing her momentum for an instant while quickly choosing the path towards the least amount of Ursa and sprinting that direction. Without turning around, she heard the horde of scorpion-like creatures pile out of the cave and watched Weiss and Ruby turn briefly before following Blake with no questions.
With the three of them grouped together, they blasted overtop of the line of Ursa and landed on the other side in a full sprint - now being pursued by an army of Grimm larger than anything they'd faced before. The Ursa were growling loudly as the hulking monsters tore through the trees after them, ripping off branches in the process. The Deathstalkers weren't far behind and were closing fast, claws clicking menacingly while they let out a never ending hissing noise that brought goosebumps to Blake's skin. And the Nevermores...the giant birds were still circling above - unable to attack now that they were back in the 'safety' of the trees, but patiently waiting for their chance to join the fray.
Weiss spun around for a split second and sent a wave of ice erupting from the ground behind them, snaring several Ursa in its grip - but the remaining creatures hardly slowed down, slamming into the barrier and sending shards shattering in all directions.
At the pace they were currently moving, it would still be at least a half an hour before they made it back to the edge of Beacon's grounds. And there was no way they could maintain this speed for that long…
Ruby flashed ahead of them, drawing Crescent Rose effortlessly along the bottom of a line of trees directly to the right. A loud groaning filled the air as dozens of hundred foot tall trees began tilting slowly in their direction, picking up more and more speed as gravity began its inevitable work. Snaps and rustles came from high above as branches splintered and snapped on the way down.
Spurring her legs faster, Blake was fighting against time to make it underneath the lowest hanging branches while they whizzed over her head. The first tree landed with a thunderous boom behind her - her feet actually leaving the forest floor from the small scale earthquake that followed. The noise was accompanied by the howls of several Ursa who were likely caught underneath.
There was no time to rest - the second, third, fourth - all of the trees were still careening towards them, hammering the earth again and again while she and Weiss flew underneath, trying not to fall too far behind so that they wouldn't also be the ones being pulverized.
But the trees were falling too quickly - the last one already leaning too far towards the ground - the lowest hanging branch was going to catch her and Weiss if they didn't get out of the way.
At the last possible second, Weiss dropped to her knees on top of a winter-white glyph and slid underneath while Blake jumped, twisting horizontally in the air to maneuver herself between two very solid branches, just barely avoiding snagging her clothing on the gnarled twigs before the entire thing crashed to the ground - splinters of wood blasting into her when the once mighty tree cracked into pieces from the force of the fall. Landing some twenty feet away with a slight stumble, she kept running - Ursa and Deathstalkers temporarily slowed, but quickly climbing over, under, and through the wreckage of wood in relentless pursuit.
"Ruby, find a way to lose them!" Weiss shouted above the noise coming from behind them.
Their leader immediately shot away, leaving nothing but a trail of rose petals in her wake while Blake and Weiss raced blindly through the forest, dodging quickly around tree after tree while trying to maintain distance between themselves and the pursuing horde.
It occurred to Blake in that moment that Ruby could easily leave them behind and be safely at home in no time. But...she doubted that Ruby even realized that. Ruby would certainly never consider it to be an option.
In a few seconds, Ruby was running beside them again.
"I have an idea!" she yelled over the sound of the Ursa growling behind them. "But you guys aren't gonna like it."
They didn't respond, merely altering their course to follow Ruby to whatever she'd found - trusting that their leader had figured out a plan. A few seconds later Blake heard it - a dull roaring sound that was growing louder with each passing footstep. Several seconds after that, she saw it.
They'd stumbled upon a river cutting through the forest and were now racing along its banks, making sure to stay out of the open patch of soft, muddy ground extending nearly five yards on either side of the rushing water. Up ahead the sky was becoming increasingly blue and looked like the entire forest dissolved into nothing before their very eyes.
It was a waterfall.
Groaning, but not slowing her pace, Blake understood exactly what was going to happen next. They were going to jump off a waterfall.
And then they were very likely going to die.
"Weiss, the water!" Ruby shouted as the solid ground between them and nothing more than thin air rapidly disappeared.
The last section of calm river water turned into a block of ice - the waterfall's resources temporarily diverted to either side so that it wouldn't pound them into oblivion at the bottom. There wasn't even any time to admire the brilliance before they ran out of dry land.
Coiling her legs on the exact last step, Blake released her muscles and propelled herself as far away from the edge as possible. Her teammates were right beside her as they left the solid ground of the forest behind in favor of the thin, misty air at the very top of the waterfall, having absolutely no idea how high up they were.
For a split second their momentum continued to carry them forward and out away from the ledge they'd just leapt from. But that momentum quickly evaporated, her stomach careening into her throat as forward progress became nonexistent and they fell like bricks towards the large pool of water hundreds of feet below. The last droplets of water were falling at the same moment beside them - each seeming to be suspended in the air while they plummeted back to earth together.
They were joined above by several Ursa - the ones who hadn't been nimble enough to stop in time and had tumbled right off the ledge behind them, now howling in fear.
With the water rushing to greet her terrifyingly fast, Blake pointed her feet, glued her arms to her sides, and took a deep breath right before hitting the surface. The force of the fall shot her what must have been twenty feet deep in the cold, murky water at the base of the falls and the shock of the impact stunned her for several seconds. It would have been easy to panic from the lack of air, disorientation, and abrupt cold, but she forced herself to remain calm. For a few moments she remained unmoving while searching for the surface. Finally finding a patch of slightly brighter water that must be above her, she began making her way towards it.
Unlike many Faunus - especiallythe more feline Faunus - Blake actually knew how to swim. It had been mandatory to learn as a member of Team RWBY...according to Yang. Although Blake had suspicions that Yang's zealousness had more to do with them wearing swimsuits than Blake's fighting prowess.
Kicking her feet just like Yang had taught her, Blake swam upward - arms pulling her up as quickly as possible while she fought against the lack of oxygen and bubble of panic building in her system. Breaking the surface a second later with a loud gasp, she treaded water and gulped in air while searching desperately for her teammates - finding the two girls already swimming towards the closest bank of the river.
The Ursa were also emerging from the water not twenty feet from her, making a tremendous amount of noise while they flailed about in panic, splashing water everywhere. She immediately began swimming towards Ruby and Weiss, trying to put as much distance between her and the monsters as possible in case they decided that now would be the perfect time to learn how to swim.
The entire flow of the forest seemed to have been disrupted now that the waterfall had been disturbed. The remaining water was cascading down rocks and onto the tops of trees that had always been safely out of its path. Add to that the sounds of her arms and legs slapping against the water, her heartbeat pounding in her ears, and the Ursa behind her. In between strokes, she saw Ruby make it to the shore first before pulling Weiss up an instant later.
Both girls turned towards her then - eyes widening in horror.
"Blake -" Weiss began slowly, using that tone that was meant to not startle people but accomplished just the opposite.
At that moment, the strong tug of an underwater current temporarily overpowered her, pulling her back underneath the surface and twisting her around before disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Kicking back to the surface, she took a big gasp of air when she'd broken through again and spun around while trying to relocate her teammates.
"Blake, hurry!" Ruby shouted from the shore, both she and Weiss waving Blake hastily towards them.
Spurring her arms and legs back into motion, she made the mistake of glancing behind her - just in time to watch a line of giant, bony scales slip fluidly back under the surface of the water.
Turning back towards the shore, she swam as fast as she possibly could, but just because she knew how to swim didn't mean she was a championship swimmer. Behind her came the unmistakable sound of an Ursa crying out - cut off by the gurgle of water.
Standing at the very edge of the pool of water, Ruby extended Crescent Rose towards Blake - stretching as far as possible without falling back in. Just a little further…
The 'currents' in the water were ebbing and flowing rapidly, whipping around beneath her and tugging her in every direction while some mammoth creature passed back and forth in the depths of the falls. Another Ursa disappeared with a muffled cry, this time as scales brushing roughly against Blake's leg.
This was why she hated water. Really, really hated water…
The creature whipped past her again, this time dragging her further away from her teammates in the process. Suddenly, Weiss stepped off the edge of the pool - seamlessly forming a patch of ice spreading away from the shore and running out towards Blake.
"Weiss!" Ruby yelled in caution, but Weiss had already reached Blake and was helping pull her from the water onto cold ice.
After yanking Blake to her feet, both of them raced towards the shore, slipping and sliding on the smooth surface. Whether they jumped the last few feet or were flung through the air when the ice suddenly burst apart was difficult to tell, but the next instant Blake hit the soft, muddy shore and instinctively rolled away from the water. When she came to a stop, she turned back just in time to watch the water Grimm take another Ursa - a long, spiny tail thrashing straight up in the air while the creature dragged its prize down into the depths.
The faint sound of cracks came from far above their heads, followed by a shattering noise when the ice finally released the torrents of water to resume its rightful path. The three of them watched in awe as the river careened down the side of the mountain, crashing into the pool and sending a giant wave of water spilling over the edges and rolling down the river away from them. The noise in the air grew deafening when the waterfall found its purpose again, sending a cloud of mist rolling into the air.
No sooner had Blake turned away from the falls did something crash roughly into her side, knocking her off her feet and slamming her into the muddy ground. There was no time to comprehend what was happening before Ruby was jumping off of her, grabbing her by the hand and dragging her to her feet while they stumbled towards the tree line - a row of giant black feathers lodged in the ground where she'd just been standing.
Adrenaline was pumping once again while they dodged from tree to tree and pushed deeper into the woods. The Nevermore cries were directly overhead as the giant creatures swept as close as possible to the trees in an effort to snatch one of them up.
But the trees were working on their side today, offering more and more cover the further they raced from the waterfall. Still the creatures pursued until Ruby finally pointed towards a giant boulder nestled in the forest floor ahead of them. With nothing more than that simple gesture, the three of them slid to a stop crouching at the base of the rock, hiding from the Grimm circling the skies above and hoping that the Nevermores would lose sight of them and give up.
It was in silence that they waited. The only sounds in the air surrounding them were the screaming monsters flying overhead, their labored breathing, and the steady drip, drip, drip of water falling from their drenched clothing onto the dried leaves covering the forest floor at their feet.
A few more minutes of patiently waiting and Blake's breathing finally began to slow when the sound of Nevermores gradually faded away - the creatures flying off in search of easier meals. Even after the sound had completely disappeared, she waited a few extra minutes before letting out a sigh of relief - a signal to her teammates that her ears could no longer pick up sounds of imminent danger.
Safe to move, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the small chip that had been the cause of all this trouble. Thankfully, no water had managed to slip inside the case. Sliding it back into her pocket for safekeeping, she stood up with Ruby and Weiss.
Taking one look at her teammates, she could accurately say that they were a mess. They were soaking wet and miserable - at least, she and Weiss were. Weiss ran both hands through her long, matted ponytail and wrung out as much water as possible before doing the same with her skirt. Blake did the same with her own hair, but there was very little that could be done for her ears...and even less that could be done for the entire side of her that was covered in mud.
Only Ruby didn't seem to be too uncomfortable. Shaking her short head of hair like a dog, she brushed some leaves from where they'd stuck to her skirt and actually managed a small smile.
If only Yang were here. Then they'd all be dry in no time.
If Yang were here, they wouldn't have had to jump off a waterfall to begin with...
"Come on, we should go," Blake said, slowly spinning in a complete circle before realizing that she had absolutely no idea which direction they should go. Too busy running for their lives, she'd lost track of where they were in relation to Beacon.
Sighing, she looked up and picked the nearest, tallest tree before beginning to climb, throwing herself upward from branch to branch while leaving the forest floor behind. When she reached the thinner branches near the top of the canopy she slowed down and made sure to keep her head low in case there were more Nevermores in the area.
After scanning and finding nothing but blue skies and white clouds, she pulled herself up onto the highest branch that would hold her weight - standing on top of the forest with nothing but leaves and mountain formations extending for miles and miles. In her time away from this life, she'd forgotten how peaceful it was up here - outside the walls of Vale, on top of the world. There were no Grimm, save for a stray Nevermore every now and again.
She'd always loved being up here, swaying gently back and forth while the tree beneath her feet bent to the will of the breeze. It was so...peaceful...and something she'd love to share with Yang one day.
Off in the distance was Beacon - the grand school visible as if it were floating above them miles away. They were going to have an uphill journey home since the waterfall had taken them into a lower basin of the forest, but at least they could still see the school from here.
Picking out a few landmarks in order to chart their course, she dropped herself down from branch to branch until she hit the carpet of leaves with a near noiseless crunch. Straightening, she pointed the direction they would go before setting off at a fast jog. They weren't doing that bad for time, but she didn't want to be in this forest any longer than necessary. The sooner they got out of here, the sooner they could try to come up with a plan to stop whatever Adam was trying to do.
One thing at a time…
It was silent for some time while they ducked through the forest, moving from tree to tree just as they'd been taught to do. It was Ruby who finally decided to break the silence.
"Yang's gonna be so jealous…"
Weiss let out a small scoff of laughter at the comment.
"She'll probably ask us to come back and do it again."
"'What? You jumped off a waterfall without me?'" Ruby whispered in a nearly perfect imitation of her sister's voice.
"'And got chased by an army of Grimm?'" Weiss added in her own version of mimicry. "'We have to do it again!'"
"'What do you mean, too dangerous?'" Ruby continued without missing a beat. "'I still wanna do it!'"
The two girls turned towards Blake and grinned while whining, "Blakeeeeee!" in perfect unison.
She had to smile, knowing it was exactly what Yang would say. Then Yang would somehow convince Blake to go along with it. Or make her believe it was actually a good idea to put their lives at risk again. Or promise that her participation would be rewarded at a later date. That was just how things seemed to work whenever Yang was around...not that Blake was complaining - or would ever complain ever again.
Their conversation ended then as they continued the climb back to Beacon, exhaustion beginning to show itself in their slowing pace and labored breathing. With little to no sleep the night before, followed by the long trek out to the cave, followed by the terrifying sprint away from it, the three of them were in sore need of a nap by this point. The last half mile was the worst - so close to home, yet so far. Her feet were dragging and she could hear that Ruby and Weiss' were, as well.
But eventually they made it - emerging from the trees onto the safety of the green pastures of Beacon's grounds. The main campus buildings were still a ways away, but this felt like it was close enough to being back.
Not a hundred feet from the treeline, Ruby stopped jogging and unceremoniously fell to the ground with a long groan of agony. Weiss followed her partner's lead, albeit with much more dignity than Ruby had just displayed. For a few seconds, Blake observed her two teammates sprawled upon the ground before deciding that maybe she should also listen to the screaming in her calves and give her legs a short break.
Sitting down on the soft, warm grass before laying on her back, she stretched out so as to absorb as much of the warmth as possible. Her chest was still heaving while her lungs struggled to catch up in terms of oxygen intake and her muscles were protesting loudly from the trauma they'd recently undergone.
But they'd survived. She had what Adam wanted. And they'd made it back with time to spare.
The three of them laid there for a few minutes, soaking up the sun while recuperating their energy before whatever was going to come next. It was actually a nice day - sunny, clear, nice soft breeze...but it would have been even nicer if Yang was lying here beside them, cracking jokes like usual.
A sharp breeze blew abruptly across Blake's skin, raising goosebumps along her arms with the chill it cast into the warm air. It was out of place on a day like today. And almost felt like -
The sound of a throat being conspicuously cleared from above them froze every cell in her body as dread filled her veins. She didn't even need to look to know who it was standing above them, but she did anyway - opening her eyes and tilting her head up to find a very angry Professor Goodwitch glaring down at them. The woman's switch was grasped tightly in one hand, as if she'd like to use it on any one of them right that instant.
Hearing Ruby and Weiss scramble to their feet, Blake followed suit - those piercing green eyes boring holes into her all the while. As soon as they were upright, the woman whipped the switch down to her side, hitting the top of her tall boots with a sharp snap as she spun away from them - cape flapping in the wind.
"My office. Now."