Onto another trailer! I swear these are taking longer and longer to make. A single, 400 word, fight scene took me an hour and a half to write; I had to make sure it was perfect, or as perfect as I wanted it to be. At least these fight scenes, potentially the most visually complicated fight scenes I have ever seen, will help me learn how to actually write a good fight scene whenever I get to making up my own stuff. It probably doesn't help that I used the source material more for this one than either of the two previous trailers. Man! Monty's animation style was crazy.
I don't really have any interesting facts or important definitions, maybe the fact the Crimson King Maple trees are actual trees, I figured I'd add a little world building by giving some information of what makes Forever Fall Forest red. I don't actually know of there is a cannon reason for it, I just made this up because I thought it would be cool.
Anyways, onto the story!
The distant caw of a crow returned Blake Belladonna down to Remnant from the daydream she had so happily indulged herself in. She imagined her favorite scene from one of her novels taking place here, the Forever Fall Forest. These woods, named after the nature of the trees being in a perpetual state of autumn, had some of Vale's most astonishing scenery, in Blake's own opinion. The trees that make up this forest, Crimson King Maple trees, are usually more of a purplish color, but something about this exact location allows for the leaves to be a vibrant shade of red. Blake could wander these forests for hours and still be in amazement at their beauty.
Today, however, these trees only served as a distraction; she was here on business, and not the usual briefcases and fancy shoes kind of business.
"It's time." were the only words her partner, Adam Taurus, spoke to her. He wore what he usually wore while out on missions: a black leather jacket with red and white rose engravings down the upper chest and back, black combat pants, black steel toed boots, and a custom hand made Grimm mask just below his dark red hair and bull horns, shielding his eyes. He always was rather abrasive when on a mission. She usually blamed it on nerves. Though recently she noticed his attitude would remain dour longer and longer after their missions had ended, one of the many changes she noticed of her mentor.
"Okay." Blake said, as she hopped down from the rock she had been resting on. A cold breeze made her tighten the coat she had chosen to wear for their mission into northern Vale. The early morning of the early spring still had the last vestiges of winter chill clinging to the air. She followed her partner to a nearby cliff edge that overlooked a massive valley. Blake mused that this would have been one of Forever Falls greatest views, if not for the ugly train tracks barging their way through it.
There they sat, waiting for their target to come rolling around the hill. With nothing better to do she continued day dreaming. But not of generic novels of love and martial arts, she thought of her past, her partner, and her main occupation for the last several years.
Although she has a different term for it, certain humans would call her a terrorist. Faunus scum that deserves to be six feet under and nowhere else. Okay, maybe that was a bit much, but for the most part it's true. Most people in Atlas would hate her, a large number of people in Mistral and Vale would as well, and the only reason no one would mind her in Vacuo was because there was hardly anything in Vacuo. She had made it her mission to end faunus discrimination, and the way she chose to do it was in the White Fang, a faunus rights organization set up after the revolution.
She had worked towards her goal of equality for as long as she could remember, she thought she was doing good, improving the world for herself and those around her. Other people didn't seem to think so. So, after a few leadership changes, and some adjustments to their tactics, here they were, about to board, secure, and then blow up a train full of Dust mined almost exclusively with cheap faunus labor by arguably their greatest enemy: the Schnee Dust Company.
That wretched business had been the cause of faunus strife for what felt like decades, Adam had told her so many, many times before. It was what kept her going when the White Fang began to use more… assertive strategies. Recently, however, Blake didn't know what to think about their organization.
It was all she knew, ever since she was a child she proudly bore the title of White Fang member, and wouldn't shy away from any racist or bully that tried to shut her up. Only, now, she didn't know who the bullies were anymore.
The first thing that notified them of the incoming train was the smell. Trains, especially older models like the one they were targeting, had a clear, pungent stench to them. Part of the engine's exhaust fumes. Luckily for them, the train was coming from up wind, making it easier to smell.
The rising tower of smoke was their second indication, an ugly black pillar that seemed out of place surrounded by Forever Fall's beauty.
Finally, the train rounded the nearest turn, showing itself to them. It was large, industrious, two tracks wide, and powerful. A beefy machine designed to haul huge shipments of Dust across the country, and Dust wasn't very light.
Adam brought his hand up and began counting down from five. They both tensed as the train closed in on their jump point. The train was rather long, meaning they did not have to time their jump perfectly. However, if they missed, then they wouldn't have another chance, they had to get this right the first time.
When Adam's countdown reached zero, the both jumped, sliding down the hill at breakneck speeds.
Adam was an extraordinary White Fang operative, arguably one of the strongest in the whole organization. But beyond strength, he was smart, he knew how to plan, and execute, a mission. Their jump point was chosen specifically for the ease of access onto the train. All you needed was a running start and a decent jump.
They both cleared the gap easily and landed on the last car of the train with a roll. Standing up, they quickly searched for any anti-personnel defense systems. When none showed, they continued on to the next step of their mission.
With a single slice of his sword, Adam cut open the roof hatch and jumped in, Blake following after one final glance to ensure they would not be followed.
Blake landed in a crouch, looking up, she saw what looked to be at least two dozen humanoid security droids on standby.
"Looks like we're doing this the hard way." Adam said. Blake rolled her eyes in an exaggerated motion.
"Don't be so dramatic." She said, chuckling, and cautiously drew her weapon off her back.
The androids sprung to life. Surrounding the two all along the length of the train car, they took standard boxing combat stances, preparing to attack should the situation come to it. One of the robots transformed its arms into two, integrated, six barrelled, rotating miniguns.
"Intruder identify yourse-'' Adam launched his sword from its scabbard, cutting off the robotic voice, his sword hit the offending android hilt first, knocking it off balance. Adam lunged, catching his sword midair, he used his momentum to cleave through the robot before it hit the floor. The remaining robots, registering the two boarders as hostile, remodeled their fists into two foot long blades jutting from their forearms and charged at their attackers.
Blake, noticing two robots approaching from behind her, launched herself backwards using a shadow clone as leverage, and cut down the robots in one swing. Landing, she ran to her partner's side.
The duo leapt into action. Backs to each other, they took turns taking out the remaining androids one by one. Cleaving them apart with ease.
After destroying the nearest group of mechanized guards, one of the robots at the far end of the train car began firing its twin miniguns upon them.
Adam stood in front of its line of fire, blocking most of its rounds with his sword during its initial burst. Blake ran past him in between the burst, and cut down the robots in the way of the armed one.
When the armed robot fired again, Blake blocked the incoming rounds with Gambol Shroud, and, once near enough, sliced the robot at the knees, incapacitating it.
Using her momentum, Blake spun, unsheathing her sword to duel wield both the bladed sheath and the sword itself, and continued to demolish the last of the androids with deadly, precise strikes.
Adam charged forward and drop kicked the final android into the train car door, launching it onto the next open air car, where it rolled off the side of the train.
The duo ran to the next car. There, they saw several dozen more armed, robotic guards gunning for them from further up the train, jumping over and running around the train's cargo as they went.
"We're not finished yet." Adam said, glancing over his shoulder at Blake. With a nod, they both charged forward towards the advancing robots.
Adam and Blake culled the closest robots with an efficient synergy that was uncommon among the ranks of the White Fang. Each would take turns in the lead, attacking in short, quick movements, not allowing any of the androids to get close.
With a pull of the trigger, Blake launched Gambol Shroud towards a distant robot, holding on to the end of its ribbon, the robot ducked underneath the throw, Blake yanked on the ribbon once it was taught, and with another round fired, the pistol shot back towards Blake, decapitating the robot as it flew.
Using the gun's momentum, she spun, whipping Gambol Shroud in wide arcs around her, slicing through the androids unfortunate enough to have gotten too close. With incredible speed, her weapon flew through the air, assisted by the recoil of fired rounds, and tore several enemies to pieces.
Adam ran ahead, using his longer sword to cut down several robots at once. Blake joined in soon after, finishing off any robots that survived Adams culling.
They continued taking turns giving finishing blows against their opponents. Making short work of the cheap tin cans that stood in their way.
Adam fired his scabbard, Blush, at the final robot, and, sheathing his sword, they both ran forwards to the next closed train car.
The door flung open from Adam's kick, and they both rushed in, weapons raised in preparation for another wave of robotic guards. When they saw none, they lowered their weapons and began searching the car for their target cargo.
The train car was rather empty, considering its size, only about a half dozen or so crates were scattered across the car, leaving plenty of open floor space around them and plenty of room overhead. Must be because this is near the end of the train; all the cars ahead are probably more tightly packed than this one. Blake thought.
She went her own direction away from Adam, searching her side of the car for their target. Using Gambol Shroud as a crow bar, she pried open the crates one by one. Revealing different assortments of goods being shipped: Commercial scrolls in one crate, followed by dust powered generators in another, and coffee makers in the next.
She heard a door slide open at the front of the train car and ducked behind one of the crates on instinct.
"Hey! You're not supposed to be here." The man must have been a member of the train's human guards, probably investigating what made the other robots freak out and go offline.
"Are you going to try to stop me?" Adam remained standing, hand on the hilt of Wilt, slowly taking a fighting stance.
"If I have to." The man said. Blake peeked over the crate to see the man had a firearm in his hands, a small pistol, rather unremarkable compared to their weaponry.
"You're a brave fool." Adam said, and crouched down, preparing to lunge.
"Adam wait!" Was all Blake could say before the man was cut down, head separated from his body. Blake stood, and ran up to Adam in time for him to resheath his blade.
"You didn't need to do that," Blake said, breathing heavily. "We could have disarmed him."
"And then what? Wait for him to attack us from behind? Or tie him up and hope he behaves? We don't have the manpower to take prisoners, it's easier this way. Besides, he was just a human." Blake didn't know how to feel about that. He was right, they couldn't take prisoners, and they didn't know if he would call for backup, or find another pistol. Yet, she didn't feel right just killing him outright either.
"Search the rest of the crates, I'm going to move up and search the next car." Before Blake could respond, he had already left.
She looked at the man's body. She wondered whether this person had a family or not, she wondered if anyone would be worried sick after their son, father, or husband didn't come home, and how devastated they'd be when they found out he never would again.
She jerked her eyes off of him before she could become more distracted. Opting to do as she was told. The rest of the crates had nothing of significance in them.
When Blake entered the next car, it was to see two more bodies, in equal stages of dismemberment, and Adam standing over an opened crate.
"Here it is, set the charges." Adam said. He tossed a detonator he'd been carrying, along with several small explosives. Blake caught them absentmindedly, too busy staring at the two extra corpses this mission had made before she finally caught what he had said.
"What about the other crew members?" she asked, concern starting to drip in her voice.
"What about them?"
"We have to do something, there must be at least a dozen more people on this train."
"So what? They're all human, they deserve what's coming to them for what they've done, or what they have failed to stop."
"This isn't right, Adam."
"Of course it is, these people are compliant with faunus oppression," Adam spread his arms wide, "look around you, most of the stuff on this train was made off the broken backs of faunus laborers. Remember what you're here for Blake, remember who you're fighting for."
Blake kept silent, but still couldn't ease the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. She had been having these feelings for a while now. She just hoped they'd go away, but they never did.
The deep whirring of large mechanical joints interrupted her thoughts. She jumped forwards towards Adam just in time to avoid a giant robot landing where she was standing with a loud metallic clunk.
The robot was huge, barely fitting inside the enclosed train car. She wondered how it even fit in here in the first place, or how they could have missed it. This machine was different from the others they had fought through to get here. It stood on four, spider-like legs, sporting two shoulder mounted cannons, along with two additional guns on its arms. This monster had a red metallic finish to most of its armor plating, giving it an imposing, almost Grimm-like, appearance.
"Adam!" Blake said, this wasn't supposed to be here, commercial trains rarely could afford something so high-tech as this, the SDC must be getting desperate.
The mech didn't wait for them to have a conversation, however. It began charging its cannons just as Adam ran towards it, he dodged the incoming cannon fire, making the robot focus its fire on him.
Blake seized the opportunity and sprinted towards the monster, making sure to avoid its fire once it started aiming for her. She jumped once she was close enough, hoping to attack its head and disable it quickly.
"Agh!" It headbutted her instead, sending her to the floor with a painful bounce.
Before it could get to close and stomp on her, Adam lunged at the robot, landing several hits with Wilt, and saving Blake's life.
Adam spared a glance at Blake to make sure she was okay, and was rewarded with a hard kick by one of the robot's legs, sending him flying to the front of the car. He rolled as he landed, avoiding more of the robot's cannon fire. The crates behind him weren't so lucky, being launched across the train car under the robot's assault.
The robot lifted its foot to crush Blake, only for Adam to charge ahead and carry her out of the way just as the robot dropped its foot, narrowly saving her life.
"We need to leave." Blake said as Adam let her down on the front end of the train car.
The robot transformed its four guns into one large cannon, charging up a huge ball of energy and hit them dead on, sending them through the wall of the train car, and onto the next open air car.
The robot followed them through the hole it blew in the wall, four weapons trained on them again.
"By me some time!" Adam said. Blake hesitated for a moment, before nodding her head and charging towards the monster. Dodging cannon fire as she moved.
She struck the robot across its legs as she ran past. Jumping into the air, she launched Gambol Shroud, ribbon still in hand, and hit the robot several times with wide swings of her weapon.
She continued to slice the robot's legs, using her shadow clones to barely dodge its counter attacks. Switching between direct hits with her weapon in her hand, and swinging it around with its ribbon.
She jumped, stabbing the robot under its head, and fired several small caliber rounds into its neck until her magazine was spent. Once her weapon clicked empty, she jumped, cartwheeling back to her partner. Just in time for the robot to transform its weapons into its single large cannon again.
"Move!" Blake screamed, running out of the robot's line of sight. Adam stood his ground, hands on Wilt and Blush, ready to draw. The robot charged its cannon and fired, sending a long blast of concentrated energy directly towards Adam.
Adam unsheathed his sword, and raised it to block the beam of energy. The beam hit the sword dead on, and was completely absorbed into it.
Adam sheathed his sword as soon as the blast ended, and slowly looked up, his hair glowing an imposing shade of dark red.
The robot, seeing its target still standing after its main blast, charged. It jumped, and brought one of its legs forward, as if to stomp on Adam.
Just as it was about to land, Adam swung Wilt, too fast for the eye to see. The robot was launched backwards, and the crates around him were sent upwards from the force of the attack. The robot landed with a deep thud and rolled, leg hanging off the side of the train, until a nearby tree caught it, and sent the robot flying into the woods, never to be seen again.
Adam sheathed his sword, satisfied that all hostile forces were eliminated. He ran towards Blake's last location towards the front of the train.
He saw her standing on the next train car, looking downwards at the connection point. Adam came to a stop, hand raising to get her attention.
Blake stood there, over a single explosive charge on the connecting pin, detonator in hand.
"Goodbye." With a push of a button, the connector was destroyed, releasing Adams half of the train from the engine which slowly started to fall behind.
Blake watched Adam's blank face as he drifted away. She couldn't tell what he was thinking at that moment. Recently, she couldn't tell what he was thinking most of the time. She just… didn't know who he was anymore, she didn't know who she was anymore. All I know is that my place isn't here anymore, not with the White Fang, not with you, Adam. I'm sorry.
A tear fell from her eye, flying away in the wind. She took off her jacket, made of black fabric with the White Fang logo embroidered on the back, and cut a strip from the bottom. She discarded the destroyed jacket and, using the strip, tied a bow to wear on top of her head, shielding her faunus cat ears, her past, from the world. Blake Belladonna, the White Fang terrorist, was no more.
Boom! Another story in the books, and longer than last time! Just one more trailer to go, after which I have plans for a few different stories I would like to try my hand at writing, I haven't decided what it'll be yet, though.
Until next time.