Do you feel like a Hero yet?
Blake was running, running with every ounce of strength she possessed, her hand desperately outstretched toward the small ball of light ahead. No matter how frantically she pushed forward, the light danced mockingly beyond her fingertips, drifting further and further away.
She just needed to touch it, just once.
After everything she'd lost, she couldn't let this slip away too. Yet, her foot got caught, sending her crashing down as the light fizzled into nothingness.
"NO!" The scream ripped from her throat, as she failed once again, but reality warped before she could even process her failure. Suddenly, she was back there, back in that metal coffin. The train car where everything went wrong, where she knew with sickening certainty what would unfold if she didn't act fast enough.
The driver's words hammered in her skull: pull the lever for emergencies. He hadn't known what it would do, but with a bomb threatening to tear through the train, what could be more extreme? She bit her lip until she tasted blood, forcing herself to move as her trembling fingers closed around the cold metal.
One pull. That's all it would take. One pull to save everyone—or so she'd thought.
The train screamed around her, metal grinding against metal in an unholy disjointed symphony.
Then came the human screams—gods, the screams. Her own soon voice joined as phantom hands materialized from every shadow. They lunged at her, countless fingers digging into her flesh. She fought back, but the hands were relentless, constricting around her throat while dragging her backward as her nails desperately clung to the floor.
Against her better judgement, Blake turned to face what awaited her. Pure terror surged through her veins, giving her a final burst of desperate energy as a fiery hole where she could see nothing but pain awaited her.
She couldn't give up as she somehow kept fighting back and in her desperate struggles, a familiar figure materialized in front of her, her mother. Blake's heart leaped with hope as she tried to scream, to beg for help, but one of the hands clamped over her mouth, silencing her cries before the void finally consumed her whole.
Blake's eyes snapped open, her body drenched in a cold sweat and her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. She clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle any sounds that might escape, her heart pounding erratically in her chest.
Scanning the dimly lit room, she saw that the other faunus were still sleeping soundly in their bunks. The relief was fleeting as a violent wave of nausea hit her, and she scrambled out of bed and sprinted towards the door.
The communal bathroom felt impossibly far away, but she couldn't hold it any longer. Her legs gave out halfway there, and she collapsed onto her knees in the middle of the hallway. Bile rose up in her throat, and she doubled over as her stomach emptied itself onto the floor in heaving spasms.
Each convulsion sent a sharp pain through her chest, and she pounded on it with a clenched fist between coughing fits. When the worst of it had passed, she sat back on her heels, gasping for air and wiping at the tears streaming down her face.
Her throat burned and her mouth tasted sour from all the retching. When she finally mustered enough strength to stand up, she looked down at the mess on the floor with a mix of embarrassment and disgust.
She had to clean up quickly before getting caught. If the building supervisor found out, there would be consequences. Swallowing hard, she winced at the acidic taste still lingering in her throat as she pushed herself up off the floor. Her eyes scanned the dimly lit corridors for the cleaning supplies she knew were stored nearby; if she couldn't see them, that meant they were probably inside the bathroom.
So that's where she headed.
The bathroom door squeaked softly as she entered, and she immediately recoiled at the foul smell. No one ever seemed to care about maintaining it, and those who did just did the bare minimum. But right now, she had no choice. She stepped inside and made her way to the supply closet. Grabbing a mop and bucket, she went back to where she was just moments ago and began working quickly and quietly to remove any trace of what happened.
After returning the cleaning supplies, Blake found herself frozen in front of the bathroom mirror. For the first time in what felt like forever, she truly looked at stepped closer, her hands trembling as she traced her reflection in the mirror.
Bloodshot eyes stared back at her, the whites now permanently tinted red from too many sleepless nights and… attempts to numb the pain. Dark bags hung heavy beneath them, deep enough to cast shadows on her gaunt cheeks. Her skin had lost its healthy glow, now sickly pale.
Her once-beautiful long black hair was now reduced to a harsh, uneven pixie cut. Not by choice, but by force as it was mandated for all faunus. She could still hear the mechanical buzz of the clippers.
Her hand drifted higher, toward her ears, her cat ears. One still stood high, but the other... her fingers brushed against the broken one, and she flinched at the sharp pain that shot through her. The injury was still fresh enough to hurt. The fur there was patchy now, revealing scarred skin underneath.
She barely recognized the person staring back at her. The strong, idealistic girl who once fought for justice was gone, replaced by this hollow-eyed… ghost.
Was this really who she had become? The thought echoed in Blake's mind as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
"Yes," a voice answered, sending chills down her spine. But when she whipped around, there was no one there.
Her heart raced as she backed away from the mirror, her breaths becoming shallow and ragged. She felt like she was suffocating as the walls seemed to close in on her, taunting her with their emptiness.
In a frenzy, she searched for an escape but found none. The bathroom walls were closing in on her, threatening to crush her under their weight until she fell to her knees, the cold tiles biting into her skin.
Broken sobs tore from her throat as she curled into herself, shoulders shaking with her pointless crying.
Alone in the bathroom, her tears fell silently as the shadows crept in, swallowing her whole until there was nothing left but the darkness and her muffled weeping.
Blake jolted awake with a yelp as freezing water splashed across her face. Above her stood the building supervisor, his harsh glare burning down at her crumpled form on the bathroom floor.
"You're late. Get to it," he barked, bucket still in hand.
Her eyes widened in terrified realization. She scrambled up and bolted toward her bed, heart pounding with fear of potential punishment. The dormitory was mercifully empty, everyone else already gone for the day. She rushed to change into her drab uniform, her fingers trembling as they fumbled with the buttons.
Her uniform felt heavier than usual this morning, the coarse fabric a constant reminder of her station. The bearer's insignia on her sleeve marked her as what she was, what ever faunus was in this academy.
Equipment.
A living tool assigned to carry gear and supplies for real Hunters.
And in her case, for team RYNW.
As she glanced at her watch, Blake's heart skipped a beat. She was already ten minutes late, and the thought of keeping them waiting sent a chill down her spine. Especially Weiss, the Schnee heiress who never missed an opportunity to remind Blake of her 'proper place'. Her mind flashed back to their unfortunate meeting at the airport, when she had tried to blend in with the humans. The memory still stung, and she couldn't help but feel resentment towards Weiss.
Even Ruby's genuine cheerfulness and Yang's easy-going nature couldn't soften the daily reminders of what she was to them, a convenience, a pack mule at best.
Only Nines seemed different. There was something peculiar about that girl, besides her striking resemblance to the Schnee family. It was almost as if she too understood what it felt like to be an outcast. Whenever she wasn't wearing her blindfold, there was a distant look in her eyes, as if she were lost in some far-off memory or thought.
Still, Blake couldn't read her true feelings behind that careful, measured demeanor.
Blake grabbed her gear harness, wincing as the weight settled onto her still-tender shoulders. She hadn't fully recovered from yesterday's activities, but bearers weren't allowed to falter to break down. That was the first rule they'd beaten into her during basic training.
She touched her broken ear one last time, steeling herself for another day of silent endurance, before heading out to meet her human team.
She briskly walked through the corridors, keeping her eyes down as other hunters and personnel passed by. Some deliberately bumped into her, others simply ignored her existence. It was the way things worked, bearers were meant to be invisible until needed.
After a while, the familiar sound of Team RYNW's voices drifted from the equipment room. Blake's sensitive ears picked up Weiss's sharp tone first, already complaining and she inevitably braced herself for another tongue lashing.
Blake took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders despite the pain, and entered the room. Weiss's icy glare hit her immediately.
"Finally decided to grace us with your presence?" Weiss's words dripped with contempt. "Do you think our time is worthless? Do you even care?"
"I-" Blake started, but caught herself. Bearers weren't supposed to offer excuses. Or speak unless directly questioned.
"Leave her alone, Weiss. We're all here now," Ruby interjected, though her silver eyes never quite met Blake's. "Blake, we're heading to Forever Fall forest today. We need to collect red sap samples, we will need two pallets worth."
Two pallets?!
Nines' blue eyes flickered briefly to her, was she… was she pitying her?
However, Blake could only nod and move to gather the supplies. Two pallets worth of jars would add considerable weight to her already aching shoulders, but she couldn't show weakness. Not here. Not now.
Yang stretched lazily, a grin spreading across her face. "I bet we'll get plenty of combat practice with all the Grimm hanging around."
"This isn't some pleasure cruise, Yang." Weiss snapped, adjusting her dust cartridges. "Professor Peach needs a lot of samples since the seniors depleted her reserves. We can't afford any mistakes." Her sharp gaze cut to Blake at the last word.
Blake silently packed the collection jars trying to somehow make a bundle for easier transportation, careful not to let them clink together. Each jar was reinforced to prevent breaking, which only added to their weight. She could already feel her muscles protesting.
"The forecast indicates optimal conditions for today's mission." Nines stated, her voice carrying its usual measured tone. "I believe that splitting into pairs would speed up the harvesting."
"Oh! That's actually a great idea!" Ruby perked up, her silver eyes brightening as she took charge. "Yang and I can take the east side of the forest. Weiss, you team up with Nines for the western section. And Blake..." she faltered slightly, her enthusiasm dimming, "...you can assist where needed."
Blake understood the implications of that task. She would have to constantly move between both groups, carrying full jars of sap back to the designated drop-off point and hoping that no Grimm would attack her. But without a weapon, she wouldn't be able to defend herself if they did.
The headmaster had taken her weapon away...though he promised to keep it safe for her. It wasn't much, but it was a small act of kindness.
As the team traversed the academy grounds, Blake lagged behind with the heavy equipment while the others walked ahead, chatting amongst themselves. She noticed how crisp the morning air felt and observed the sun rising over Vale's skyline in the distance.
The bullhead's engines were already humming as they approached the landing pad. Its metal hull gleamed in the early light, the military insignia prominently displayed on its side. The pilot, a gruff-looking human, barely glanced at them before his eyes settled on Blake with familiar disdain.
"Load the equipment in the rear compartment," he barked, turning his attention back to checking his list.
Blake moved quickly to comply, her muscles straining as she carefully arranged the collection jars and other supplies she had to pack. The others boarded through the main passenger door, settling into the padded seats. However, she didn't follow them inside because she knew her place was in the rear compartment with the cargo because bearers weren't allowed in the main cabin during transport.
As she secured herself in the cramped space, surrounded by equipment, and rough crates.
The bullhead's engines roared louder, and she braced herself for takeoff the vibrations shuddered through Blake's body as she sat alone in the dark cargo hold.
Her mind was consumed by memories of her father: his loving smile, his powerful speeches, and his hopeful dreams for a better future. The thought of him seeing her now, reduced to a mere bearer and less than a second-class citizen, filled her with shame.
She had sacrificed everything - her name, her pride, her identity - to come here in search of something better. And for what? To be treated even worse than the equipment she carried? Despite being one of the few faunus allowed at the academy, she was still at the bottom of the social hierarchy as a bearer. She could feel their judgement and disgust without even having to look into their eyes.
But she deserved it all, didn't she? The images flooded her mind once again - the train, the explosion, the agonizing screams of her people.
And Adam...the last expression on his face when she cut the train in half.
She had killed him. Killed them all. This fate was not just punishment; it was a well-deserved consequence for her actions.
Her mother must hate her now… did she even know that she is alive?
Her heart ached at the thought of her mother grieving alone in their empty house in Menagerie. She could picture her sitting there, thinking she was completely alone in this cruel world before breaking down into sobs and isolating herself as she slowly deteriorated.
Hot tears streamed down Blake's cheeks as she tried to stifle her sobs with her trembling hands. Even here, where no one could hear her or care, she couldn't let herself be heard crying.
With shaking fingers, she reached into her hidden pocket and pulled out a small pill. She dry-swallowed it, then another, and another, until finally blessed numbness began to creep in, dulling everything to a distant haze.
Her life was a true cynical joke.
Heh…her hands looked soooooo funny. Heh..heh
Heh…
-Nines, Forever Fall-
Nines carefully finished collecting the last of the sap, her sensors registering both the strong odor and its peculiar properties. Despite her initial skepticism, she found herself pleasantly surprised by its taste, another fascinating example of how Remnant's natural resources differed from those in her world. Her data banks couldn't help but catalog this new information with enthusiasm.
Her team had talked about the sap's tendency to attract Grimm, which only intensified her scientific curiosity. Without Pod's advanced scanning capabilities, she had to rely on her own processing systems for analysis, a limitation that both frustrated and challenged her to improve even further.
The preliminary scans she managed to conduct revealed an unusual energy signature within the sap's composition - something that didn't align with any of her existing data. She was already forming a couple of hypotheses, as she prepared a list of questions for Professor Peach and she couldn't deny that she was anticipating that meeting.
After securing the lid with precise movements, Nines placed the jar alongside the others on the forest floor.
Moments later, Blake Belladonna arrived, which quickly caught her full attention as she began observing her rather unusual behavior.
The suppressed giggles, unfocused eyes, and slightly swaying.
Only one condition matched those symptoms. Had Blake really compromised their mission by consuming illicit substances?
The thought troubled her both from a tactical standpoint and from the genuine concern she'd developed for the faunus girl.
But she wasn't going to act as ordered.
But this was enough to fill a new report to Commander Taurus. He absolutely needed to know this, how Blake had drastically deteriorated in just a couple of weeks. It was both fascinating and concerning.
However, if the situation had a turn for the worse in the substance abuse, she would be forced to intervene, regardless of her orders to maintain cover.
For now, she had to keep observing more.
"Nines! Have you finished collecting your samples?" Weiss's clear voice cut through the crimson forest.
"Yes, I've just completed the task," Nines replied, carefully lifting her collection of jars. Her attention split between monitoring Blake and responding to Weiss.
Weiss approached with her characteristic precise steps, but her expression shifted as she caught sight of Blake. Her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing their teammate's unusual behavior.
"What's wrong with-"
"Weiss, I've been meaning to ask," Nines interjected quickly, her mind selecting a suitable diversion. "The energy distribution in dust crystals - does it follow a consistent pattern across different types? I noticed some fascinating variations in my recent studies."
The question had the intended effect. Weiss's attention immediately shifted, her eyes lighting up at the mention of dust theory. "Actually, that's an excellent question. The crystalline structure varies significantly depending on the elemental type..."
"Hey guys!" Ruby called out cheerfully, carefully balancing several jars of sap in her arms. Yang followed close behind, carrying her own collection with significantly less ceremony.
"We're all done over here!" Yang announced, grinning as she approached. "Got bored of waiting around, so figured we'd speed things up a bit."
Weiss cut off her lecture mid-sentence, placing her hands on her hips. "That's the bearer team's assignment. We're supposed to be providing security and harvest, not doing their work for them."
"Yeah, well," Yang shrugged, setting down her jars next to Nines' collection, "standing around watching trees isn't exactly thrilling. Besides, the faster everyone finishes, the sooner we can head back. I heard there's a new noodle place that opened up near-"
"That's not the point," Weiss interjected, though Nines detected a slight decrease in the intensity of her protest. "There's a proper procedure-"
A loud crash interrupted their conversation, followed by Blake's startled yelp. Everyone turned to see their teammate sprawled on the ground, surrounded by fallen jars that thankfully hadn't broken. The faunus girl was giggling softly, seemingly unfazed by her fall.
Weiss's eyes narrowed once again.
"Perhaps a brief respite would be beneficial," Nines suggested, trying to diffuse the rising tension. "The atmospheric conditions might be affecting everyone's performance."
First a special thanks to my supporters! You guys are amazing!
AN: Blake interlude.
Remember you can read up to two chapters ahead in my and vote which story gets updated first.
Also you can get access to exclusive short stories and a poll to pick the next short story!
So just head my Patr eo n. com (slash) cholotales