SWNOVELXO Chapter 9: Chapter VII - 黒さ
"Your hopes have become my burden. I will find my own liberation."
A lone girl with cat ears sits atop a boulder in the middle of a forest, with crimson red leaves. She sits in silent contemplation watching the leaves fall as a gust of wind blows down another batch.
A man with bright red hair, a white mask covering his eyes, a pair of horns, and wearing an all black attire approaches her with a hand on his sword, which lay attached to his hip.
"Blake, its time"
The girl known as Blake nods, "understood."
The pair run until they find the edge of a small cliff, where a train tracks lay in the valley below, Blake and the Man slide down the hill and jump onto the train. Landing on a passenger carriage, digging their weapons on the roof to hold on the speeding train. They steady themselves and jump towards the next carriage, where the Man slashes at the roof hatch, granting access inside.
Landing quietly they stare bewildered at the sight before them. A squad of worker drones produced by Arcadia sat around a large card board box playing cards. The drones turn to them and one of the worker's presents the cards in his hand.
"Wanna join-"
Unfortunately the Faunus duo didn't come here for games as the Man's sword shot forward from its scabbard and embedded itself deep into the drones comically large head, the other drones screamed at the sight of their fellow worker being killed and scrambled away from the danger.
"Adam!" Blake yelled, for her this was unnecessary. Worker drones were pathetic to say the least, completely incapable of defending themselves. If anything they could have just asked for some information and knowing the naive nature of the workers they could've gotten it easily, but no Adam always had to make things more difficult.
Adam turned to her leaving the wounded worker by itself. Adam looked into her amber eyes and shrugged they're just simple soulless workers what difference does it make if he doesn't kill them? Might as well have a bit of fun.
Then an alarm began to blare, Adam turned to see the worker he had bisected at the waist, had managed to crawl all the way to an emergency button triggering the alarm. With its sole act of revenge done the worker face planted into the floor expending all its energy to make it to the button, its core systems finally shutting down, with the message 'FATAL ERROR' being labeled on its screen visor.
The train cab door slides open and a pair grey metallic boots step right in front of it, an AK-200 had come to investigate the alarm being triggered to find the two intruders and the butchered workers.
"Intruders. Identify. Yourselves." It spoke, its voice in a much more robotic voice than the previously mentioned worker drones. Unlike them these were manufactured by Atlas for the purpose of security and lacked the personality of the workers. More metal footsteps ring out as more AK-200s show up as reinforcements.
"Looks like we're gonna be doing this the hard way." All around them, the AK-200 activate their weapons.
"Don't be so dramatic," Was Blake's response, getting a grip on Gambol Shroud, preparing for a fight.
Adam just stares at her emotionlessly. Before sending his katana at one of the AK-200s, knocking it backwards. Once he retrieves his katana and cleaves through the poor machine. This is when all of them begin to attack.
The androids behind Blake charge but she easily uses her semblance to launch herself backwards to slice at them. The two faunus make effectively a good duo, taking each robot down left and right, covering the other's back. They hit one final robot that leaves them outside the previous car.
More robots arrive and charge forward to meet the intruders, Adam looks at Blake. "Let's do this."
Both fight back as Adam sends the guards up while Blake knocks them down. Blake throws Gambol Shroud, a long ribbon keeping it attached. Before she yanks it back, releasing fire on the clankers.
The two swipe, dice and slice their way up the cars effortlessly. Once reaching the designated car, they open up a chest. "Perfect, move up to the next car." He closes the chest, turning to Blake. "I'll set the charges."
"What about the crew members?" Blake asked, gaining a worried expression. Adam simply responded "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."
Then two very loud, very heavy, footsteps boom in the enclosed cabin. The two turn to see a pair red glowing eyes and a hulking machine steps forward. It stood twice the height of a normal man and it carried one of the most powerful guns ever mounted on any kind of vehicle, twin-linked Las-Cannons, weapons so powerful that not even the mightiest of Grimm can shrug off
It was painted white and blue in Atlesian heraldry, Adam snarled when he saw the Schnee company logo on its left shoulder, and snarled even harder when the machine stepped closer and spoke.
"You've gotten a lot farther than you should have. But then again you've never meet a Dreadnought have you? The ride's over animals. Time to die."
Blake knew just how lethal these things were, created in a partnership between Atlas and Arcadia. With some of their most brilliant minds coming together to create the ultimate Grimm killing machine, she had seen them before in areas heavy with Grimm infestation. But she had never heard them speak before especially such venomous words, her eyebrows furrowed, almost as she could feel the machines disgust, burning through its metal body.
Adam scoffed, "Huh? Who the hell does is this thing think it is?"
"Me, Traban(pronounced Trayben). That's who. One of Atlas' finest killing machines. You aren't going anywhere from here." It spoke with even more hatred, as its left hand clenched into a fist.
Blake's spine tingled, as the hair in the back of her neck stood up, she felt goose bumps all over. She had faced some pretty horrific Grimm before but this thing... was something else, Grimm will kill you, but Dreadnoughts would make you suffer.
"Wait! Please perhaps we could discuss this further, I'm sure theres a way to still this peacefully?" Blake attempted to relax the machine, maybe they could talk it down and it would let them go, the chances are low but never zero.
Meanwhile Traban and Adam glanced at each other, then back at Blake. Did she really just suggest that?
Adam:
Traban:
"...We just did. Time for talking's over."
Welp, speech check failed. To further emphasize its point, the Machine raises its left foot and slams it back on to the floor of the train car causing it to shake violently. While pointing its right side of its body forward aiming its Las-Cannons which began hum as they began to charge.
Adam immediately ran towards it, he dodged the incoming Las-Cannon fire making the Dreadnought focus its fire on him, punching holes in the train car.
Blake shed her fear and seized the opportunity and sprinted towards the Dreadnought, 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 crush her under its adamatium boot, Adam lunged at the Machine, landing several hits with blade, 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 Machine's legs, sending him flying to the front of the car. He rolled as he landed, avoiding more of the Machine's Las-Cannon fire. The crates behind him weren't so lucky, being launched across the train car under the Machine's assault.
The Dreadnought lifted its foot to crush Blake once more, only for Adam to charge ahead and carry her out of the way just as the Machine dropped its foot, narrowly saving her life, again. This caused the Dreadnought to roar in frustration
"Wretched Animals, just perish already!"
"We need to leave." Blake said as Adam let her down on the front end of the train car.
The Machine entered a heavy stance, spreading its legs slightly and hunching itself lower to the ground, and began charging up a huge beams of energy and just barely missed them by a hair, and hit the floor ahead of them, with the force of the explosion sending them through the wall of the train car, and onto the next open air car.
The Machine followed them through the hole it blew in the wall, weapon 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 Las-Cannon fire as she moved.
She struck the Dreadnought across its legs as she ran past. Jumping into the air, she launched Gambol Shroud, ribbon still in hand, and hit it several times with wide swings of her weapon.
She continued to slice the Machine'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 Dreadnought 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 Dreadnought to charge its Las-Cannons again. But she had done her job many of the Dreadnought's vision optics had been damaged semi-blinding it.
"Move!" Blake screamed, running out of the Machine's line of sight. Adam stood his ground, hands on Wilt and Blush, ready to draw. The Dreadnought charged its Las-Cannons and fired, sending an extremely bright red, 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 intimidating shade of dark red.
The Dreadnought, enraged further seeing its target still standing after its main blast, charged. It jumped, and raised its massive fist, as if to crush Adam.
Just as it was about to land, Adam swung Wilt, too fast for the eye to see. The Dreadnought was launched backwards, and the crates around him were sent upwards from the force of the attack. The defeated Dreadnought landed with the heaviest of thuds, its Las-Cannons detonating in a red explosion, with the slash cleaving it in half at the Waist. With Adam slashing across its chest for one final measure.
Adam sheathed his sword, satisfied that all hostile forces were eliminated. He turned towards Blake's last location towards the front of the train.
Not before hearing the voice of the Dreadnought once more.
"YoU *ZZZZRT* yOu HaVeN't wOn HeRe. YoU aNd YoUr AnImAl-BaStArD frIeNDs WiLL aLl sEE thE WraTh Of tHe LorD oF AlL ManKinD sOon. YoU'vE doNe NothInG HerE, 'CepT SeAl yoUr oWn deaTh WaRRantS. *ZZZRT* Cour-ZZZRRT-aGe *ZZZRT* AnD... HonOr..."
With those final venomous words the Dreadnought finally lost all power and turned off, for good.
Adam turned back around, where he saw her standing on the next train car, and she wasn't alone. Standing beside her was... a human. He knew who he was the blonde hair, the regal uniform. He was the Arcadian Crown Prince. 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.
The Prince turned to her and whispered, "Make your choice, it's now or never."
'Remember who you're fighting for.'
She stared long and hard into his baby blues, before turning to Adam and uttering a quiet. "Goodbye." And with a push of a button, the connector was destroyed, releasing Adam's half of the train from the engine which slowly started to fall behind.
Blake watched Adam's unreadable 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.'
She turned to embrace the Prince in a hug as a tear fell from her eye, flying away in the wind. He embraced her back and let go after a while. She reached out into her pocket and pulled a black ribbon and tied it into 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.
She stepped back and dropped to one knee and pledged eternal loyalty to the Prince of Arcadia.
"Saying those words are easy, prove it to me that you mean it." He responded.
"I will, for the sake of my people." Was her hushed reply.
He knelt and offered her his hand, to pull her back up to her feet.
"Our people, we stand together or not at all. My great-grandfather once said, 'A house divided, cannot stand.' For the sake of our descendants we shall work together for a better tomorrow now rise Blake Belladonna. We have people to save."
Blake accepted his hand and stood and after a small pause of silence she stifled a giggle, and wiped her last tear.
"What? Too dramatic?" He chuckled back.
"Hehe Yea, you sound like some overly powerful hero in some lame fairy tale."
"Well I did read a certain red haired, scythe wielding, gun-nut a lot of bed time stories as a kid. Anyways what about your boyfriend? Are we just gonna assume he fine or something?"
"Ex-boyfriend." She corrected him. "And I have a feeling he'll be back. He's not one to give up easily, but I'll be waiting for him and I'll be ready."
"If you say so, but don't let that over confidence lead you to lose an arm. Fate and future are a finical thing, it'll be wise to not mock it, lest it bite you in the ass." He warned.
She scoffed, "Nice words of wisdom, your Grandpa tell you that one too?" She mocked, sarcastically.
Unfortunately for her the Prince wasn't one to back down from a 'sarcastic jerk' contest "Nice joke, Jackass. They got thats one in Mens?" He replied sourly.
She let out a short laugh, "For you handsome maybe~"
"...Are you flirting we me?" He asked
"Are you with me?" She replied
"I-what?"
She laughed once more at his dopy confused face. Before shaking her head, man he was such a dork at times.
He sighed shivered, as a gust of wind blew particularly hard. And judging by her similarly shivering and rubbing her arms she was cold too. He took off his over coat and put it one her more exposed form.
"Come, let's get to my cabin where it's warm, and a nice meal should do it too."
"Yea... I'd like that. Is the Schnee here?"
"She is not."
"Good."
And theres chapter 7 a bit longer with some better combat hope y'all liked the references especially the fallout one hehe. And yea i included a meme cuz why not?