Chapter 6: Dual Roads to Recovery
Fortuna, Storyteller's domain
6:09 pm
Blake was confused about what the man had meant by "telling stories was his job" and wondered what book he was reading. She wondered as well where that book in the warehouse had taken her, to a world where tall spires of books towered over the area, and the man decided to explain to her where she was...
" Welcome to Fortuna, Blake." The man said.
" How do you know my name?" Blake demanded.
" I know everything there is to make up the girl that is Blake Belladonna." The man explained.
" Who are you?" Blake asked.
" I am the Storyteller, and this is my domain." The man stated.
" What?" Blake said.
The man didn't respond as he quickly disappeared in a small vortex of pages, and a gate ahead of Blake opened up and some stairs came out of a wall...
" You have been marked and corrupted by the guilt of your mistakes, The trials of Broken and Repaired await." The Storyteller said in Blake's mind.
" Huh?" Blake said.
" Duncan sent you to me as he believes you have been overcome by your guilt, begin the trials to start anew." The Storyteller ordered.
Blake walked up the stairs and noticed a bright red book sitting on a podium, and watched as it opened just as she approached it. She touched the Book's pages, and was teleported to a tunnel that was covered in tattered banners of the old White Fang Order symbol, as well as her own. She then heard the Storyteller speak...
" This is the Trial of Allegiance, it will test how strong your loyalty is, to your past and to yourself." The Storyteller explained.
" What will happen?" Blake asked.
" You will be faced with the demons of your past service to the White Fang, and the demons of your guilt that were produced after the incident." The Storyteller said.
The gate ahead of Blake opened up to a large courtyard, where innocent Faunus are being persecuted by the White Fang for being sympathetic to the humans, and The Storyteller appeared beside her...
" Back during your service to the White Fang, did they ever do something like this?" The Storyteller asked.
" Yes, Adam wanted all Faunus to be loyal to the cause, so he had the ones who weren't persecuted like this." Blake explained.
" What would you do at this moment? Be The Persecutor? Or will you Be the Defender?" The Storyteller asked her before disappearing again.
Blake closed her eyes and then proceeded to attack the White Fang soldiers, quickly defeating them with great speed and prowess, with nothing but her bare hands. The Storyteller appeared before her again, this time applauding her for defeating the White Fang with great skill...
" Well done, child." The Storyteller said.
" What do you mean?" Blake asked.
" By defeating the persecutors, you have conquered over the demons that haunted you from your past. Only one more awaits." The Storyteller said, giving Blake a longsword.
" What's the sword for?" Blake asked.
" For the final part of the trial." The Storyteller simply said before disappearing again.
A blue book appeared wide open, and this one teleported Blake to an area covered by what looked like a massive train wreck. Cars were lying everywhere, fires burned brightly, and wrecked Aletian robots were tossed around the area. The Storyteller again appeared, this time sitting above her on a wrecked train car...
" You once worked with Adam on raiding a train carrying Aletian arms and a crew of over 50, he wanted to set the demo charges at the disregard of the crew." The Storyteller said.
" Yes, but I wanted to do something about the crew before that spider robot showed up." Blake said.
" So you left Adam to fight the Robot, and abandoned him after it was defeated." The Storyteller said.
" How do you know all this?" Blake inquired.
" I know how events in people's lives were to play out, and I write them down in these texts." He responded, raising the book.
" That book...details my entire life?" Blake said.
" All the way up to the day you die." The Storyteller said.
Blake started to have a coughing fit and a sick feeling in her stomach, and eventually wretched up black liquid which had immediately taken the shape of the one person she had never wanted to face, the one man she never had wanted to see again because her past would haunt her: It took the form of Adam.
" Now, defeat this apparition, and this chapter can come to a close." The Storyteller said.
Blake held the sword he had given her at the ready, like a warrior who wasn't going to run from the apparition that haunted her...
Beacon Academy Dorms.
7:09 pm
Ruby was laying in Weiss's bed due to her spinal injury making her unable to get to her own bed, while Pyrrah sat in a chair, helping her with homework for Professor Port's class. Under doctor's orders, Ruby was to stay in bed for several weeks so she can recover from her injuries. She'll have to be really careful whenever having to go to the bathroom when she has to. Pyrrah and her teammates immediately helped her out in their own way, Pyrrah helped Ruby with classwork and homework and Weiss helped on certain things, Nora ran breakfast, lunch, and dinner to Ruby since she was stuck in the room, Ren and Jaune brought her assignments for her other classes, and her uncle Qrow had been kind enough to take her to her physical therapy sessions in the city and have her back to school on time. Sometimes, Velvet from Team CFVY would come over and play videogames or watch a movie with her.
" Well, that concludes Port's assignment on Grimm physiology." Pyrrah said in a humored tone.
" Yeah, we're done talking about Grimm guts." Ruby said as her watch went off.
" Oh, medicine time." Pyrrah said.
Pyrrah walked over to a small silver tray Weiss had left, with a ice-dust laced thermos containing milk and the little jar of Cyphexaline pills. Ruby took the two pills and gulped them down before rapidly drinking a glass of milk.
" Man, are the pills always gonna taste disgusting?" Ruby said.
" Sadly yes, but they are to help you recover." Pyrrah explained.
" Yeah." Ruby said in agreement.
Weiss had walked in just as Pyrrah had promised to deliver Ruby's work when she went to class tomorrow. Pyrrah then exited the room, and Weiss went over and sat on the bed next to Ruby so she can have a little chat...
" Did you take your medicine?" Weiss asked.
" Yes, the watch Jaune bought for me reminded me." Ruby said.
" That's good, you want to get better right?" Weiss said.
" Well, I don't want have back pain for the rest of my life." Ruby pointed out.
" Hehe, that's a good point." Weiss said.
" Everybody's been kind enough to help me, you especially." Ruby stated.
" Well, you scared all of us, so we're all wanting you to get better." Weiss said.
" Well, you were probably scared the most." Ruby said resting her hand on Weiss's.
Weiss looked at Ruby and she was smiling, in which Weiss knew that Ruby understood what she had meant when she didn't want to lose Ruby. Weiss then turned to her side purse and pulled out a small box...
" What's that?" Ruby asked.
" Just a little something I got for you, with my sister's help of course." Weiss responded.
" Oh?" Ruby said.
Weiss opened the box, revealing a silver cross on a chain. The cross was elegantly designed, with diamonds following the design of the cross, and on the flipside was a message engraved that Weiss had written herself...
You are a rose that will never wither, as long as we are together.
Ruby was smiling over the gift she had received from Weiss, the one person who stayed by her side. She pulled Weiss close and kissed her, in which she didn't even resist against it, which it was passionate moment for them both.
" You dunce." Weiss said in an excited tone.
" Really now?" Ruby said in a sarcastic tone.
Both girls giggled for a bit, then Weiss decided to update Ruby about Winter's hunt for her other two teammates...
" Listen, Ruby..." Weiss started.
" Yes?" Ruby said.
" Winter is hot on Yang and Blake's trail, she's not gonna rest until she finds them." Weiss said.
" I know, your sister is the best out of Ironwood's people, I trust her." Ruby responded.
Their conversation was interrupted as there was a knock at the door and it was revealed to be Penny, who was kind enough to stop by to check up on her closest friend...
" Hey Ruby." Penny said as she walked in.
" Hey there, Penny." Ruby said.
" How are you feeling?" Penny asked.
" Back still hurts a lot, so I won't be walking around much for a while. Still got to walk when I got to use the bathroom and will need help sitting down on the toilet." Ruby said.
" Who helps with that?" Penny asked.
" I have." Weiss said, with some disgust in her voice.
" She really doesn't like doing it." Ruby said.
" I have to pull up your pants and underwear after you are done." Weiss said.
" That I am actually sorry for." Ruby responded.
After their conversation, Penny took off as Ironwood was getting curious to where she had wandered off. Nora brought dinner to Ruby, and then brought the tray back to the cafeteria when she was done, and the girls went to bed when the time came. But something had roused Weiss from her sleep, as she had heard murmurs from the other side of the room, and noticed Ruby was moving around in her sleep and appeared to be crying.
" Ruby?" Weiss asked very quietly.
Ruby sprung awoke, startling Weiss a bit, and starting breathing heavily like she had awoken from a nightmare that had scared her greatly...
" Hey, hey, it's okay." Weiss said to calm her.
" I'm sorry, I just had a bad dream." Ruby said.
" What was it about?" Weiss asked her.
" How I got my scar." Ruby explained trying to clean up the tears.
Weiss immediately felt concerned, Ruby was suffering from constant nightmares about what had happened when Blake was infected with the virus. Weiss offered to stay with Ruby for the night, which Ruby immediately accepted, and Weiss went to sleep in the same bed as Ruby so she would be right there should any more nightmares happen. While Weiss worked on helping Ruby with her road to recovery, Blake was nearing the end of hers...
Fortuna, Trial of Acceptance
10:00 pm
Blake was laying on the ground, in a completely dark tunnel, no light to been seen any where for what looked like miles. The Storyteller was nowhere to be seen, which Blake had gotten used to, and the longsword that he had given her was now on her back. The Storyteller's voice was heard once again...
" You have surpassed all the trials Blake, but this one will be the most challenging for you." The Storyteller said.
" How will this be a challenge?" Blake asked.
" You will see." The Storyteller said before going silent again.
Blake started to hear voices that sounded like accusing voices, and the air in the tunnel got colder and it felt like it was burning her skin when gusts of wind breezed by. She turned around dodged a red and gold spear that nearly took her head off. She turned and saw an angry Pyrrah ready to murder her as she ran up and grabbed Blake by the throat...
" WHY DID YOU TRY TO MURDER HER?!" Pyrrah screamed before dropping her and disappearing.
" What the hell?" Blake thought.
Her trachea felt like it was just crushed by an Ursa, which Blake remembered Pyrrah not being that strong before. She walked through the tunnels, and was attacked by another apparition, this one taking the shape of Nora, who knocked Blake to the side with her hammer.
" YOU WILL BURN FOR THIS, BLAKE!" Nora screamed before disappearing.
" Why are they doing this?" Blake thought.
Blake felt her side and it was in serious pain, she made her way through the tunnels again and was then attacked by two different apparitions at the same time, this time it was Jaune and Ren, who injured her right arm and left her with a black eye...
" YOUR SINS WILL NOT BE UNPUNISHED!" The boys said before disappearing.
" What is beating the crap out of me gonna teach me?" Blake thought to herself.
She walked along the tunnels, carrying her injured arm so it would hurt less after what had transpired. She raced towards an exit in hopes of escaping, only to be attacked this time by three apparitions with glowing blue eyes. They were of Ruby's Uncle Qrow, her father Taiyang, and Weiss's older sister, Winter.
" YOU NEVER ESCAPE WHAT YOU HAVE BECOME!" Qrow screamed.
" YOU ARE THE MONSTER SHE ALWAYS WILL FEAR!" Taiyang screamed.
" YOU WILL NEVER BE ACCEPTED BY THEM EVER AGAIN!" Winter screamed before all three disappeared.
Blake was physically hurt by their words, and doubt began to stir in her mind. What if Winter was right? Will she ever again be accepted her teammates after everything she had done? Can she go back and face them after what she did? These thoughts were quieted when she was attacked by apparitions of Sun and Neptune, escaping with only a scratch over her left cheek.
" YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER RUN!" Neptune screamed.
" YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE THE PAST YOU RAN FROM!" Sun screamed before both boys disappeared.
" They're right, I've run from every mistake I had made, now I possibly killed the one person who trusted me." Blake thought.
She wandered out into a large courtyard where the book to exit Fortuna sat atop a pedestal, but it was on the other side of three large pools, a pool of fire, a pool of ice, and a pool of blood. She tried to go around them, but was attacked by sentient fire, which had taken the shape of Yang.
" I WILL KILL YOU!" Yang screamed.
" Please, let me explain!" Blake said.
Blake did everything she could to dodge the violent attacks of the apparition, and slipped on the side of the Pool of ice, and her ankle was grabbed by a hand that was made completely of ice, as an ice apparition in the shape of Weiss came rising out of it.
" WHY DO YOU LET YOUR GUILT CONTROL YOU?!" Weiss demanded from Blake.
Blake simply kicked her away, and was backed into a corner by a Fire Apparition in the form of the one girl she had considered her partner and an Ice Apparition in the shape of the one girl who had put her trust into. They had backed her towards the pool of blood, where Blake fell into it, and felt like she was drowning, awakening in a darkened place with a final apparition in front of her, this time in the form of Ruby whose clothes were blood-soaked and she still had Gambol Shroud in her chest.
" Why did you do it Blake? Why did you try to kill me?" Ruby asked.
" I never wanted to, you are my friend and my captain, I placed my trust in you to do the right thing when it came to certain situations, and I let myself get cocky. I thought that I wasn't infected with that virus WHITECROSS was trying to stop, thought I was going to be fine. But I was wrong, and my ambitions cost me you, Yang, and Weiss as my friends. It tore me apart inside because I thought I had killed you that day, I thought I ended your life before it even truly began, and I even thought about killing myself just to silence the memories of that happening. I let ambition get the better of me, and for that, I am truly sorry for doing that, and I beg for your forgiveness, otherwise you can return the favor." Blake said, holding out the sword to the apparition.
But the apparition slowly backed off and she returned to the courtyard, the pools were no longer there and her injuries were gone from sight. The Storyteller appeared above her, with an outstretched hand and a smile on his face.
" The hardest trial all beings have to endure is The Trial of Acceptance, to acknowledge her guilt, and to let it all out." The Storyteller said.
" You wanted me to face my guilt?" Blake asked.
" To allow it to gestate and grow would have proven dangerous for you." The Storyteller explained.
" So, what happens now?" Blake asked.
" You are ready to help Duncan now, so you will be needing this, hand me the longsword I gave you." The Storyteller instructed.
Blake handed him the sword, and he drove it straight into a book he put onto the floor that was left open, and the sword was swallowed up by the book and it slammed shut. It started to shake violently and began to levitate between them both. The book exploded open and a new Gambol Shroud was floating above it, like the weapon had never been destroyed at all, and Blake reached out and took it, feeling a sense of familiarity as it was in her hands again.
" Read the book at the top of the stairs to return to Remnant when you are ready." The Storyteller explained.
" Thank you, for everything." Blake said.
" Anytime, child." The Storyteller responded.
Blake proceeded up the steps and opened the large red book, and was teleported back to the old warehouse room she was locked in. Duncan was standing in the doorway, looking to Blake as she had come into possession of a new Gambol Shroud.
" Are you ready?" Duncan asked.
" Yes." Blake responded.
People have the hardest time when they have to face and accept the guilt of the mistakes they had made. Blake learned that lesson with the help of the Storyteller, and she was now ready to join forces with Duncan and his team in waging war against the White Fang. Ruby and Weiss have started a relationship together, showing that I support the master ships, and Weiss must help Ruby overcome nightmares about what happened. The next chapter starts with Blake and her allies get a new ally, and Weiss and Ruby have their first official date that is chaperoned by Qrow.
WAIT, SEE, AND ENJOY.