Past Thread: >>6281756Archive: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=MissvalGeneral Pastebin: https://pastebin.com/5hFQZtc3Character Sheet: https://pastebin.com/x0sZyPY3 (New's here!)Twitter/X account for important announcements, contact and stuff: https://x.com/MissvalQMYour name is Shelly Suzume, and you’ve finally discovered what really happened to you all those years ago. About your condition, your mind, and the mess it’s become.Unfortunately, the truth isn’t good news.After a retrieval mission was abruptly changed at the last minute, you decided to take matters into your own hands and infiltrate the Black Sheep Family’s headquarters. You’d been here before. Partially, at least. But with the city under blackout and Grimm swarming the outskirts, this seemed like the perfect time to go deeper.And, somehow, it paid off.You found her. The scientist who once worked as a nurse back at Haven Academy. Cerise. You interrogated her, accidentally broke her nose, and finally learned what really happened to you. Why your mind fractures the way it does. Why children flinch when they see your eyes. Why… you’re the way you are.To put it bluntly, Grimm-infused Dust emits waves that warp the brain in unnatural ways. That’s what happened to you. No cure, at least not yet, and considering how experimental this whole thing is, you’re not even sure if one even exists. But you’re not about to stop looking.Cerise asked for your help finding someone. An associate of hers. You agreed, partly because you’re not a monster, partly because you needed her alive and cooperative if you wanted answers.Then came the elevator. A tight, hidden shaft buried deep beneath the mountain. Halfway down, the power started to flicker. You tried to stabilize things with your Semblance, but it didn’t hold.Long story short, the elevator crashed. You got off light. Just a few broken fingers and toes. At least you’re alive.Cerise isn’t… that well. She’s unconscious, with a hit in the back of the head, and without Aura to heal herself.Now you’re trapped deep in the Black Sheep’s hidden laboratories with a dying scientist in your arms. Given what you’ve heard about this place (The experiments, the lack of ethics, the vast number of unholy secrets), you have no idea what’s waiting for you down here.But one thing’s clear. You have to save Cerise. Mostly because she’s probably the only person in Remnant who can help you fix what’s been done to your mind.
---You did gymnastics back in the day, back in Haven. Even before your Semblance had fully developed, heights never scared you. Some strange part of you actually felt at peace in the air.You used to race other students. Rope climbing was where you shined. You still remembered the cheers, the applause, your teammates calling your name. Percy’s smile lingered most of all. Shame you never talked to him much. You were shy back then, and he got transferred to Vale after some family emergency or something akin to that.Still, reaching the top before anyone else had felt incredible. Some said your Semblance gave you an unfair edge, but they were wrong. You didn’t use it back then. You’d wanted to prove you could do it on your own. Honesty mattered to you. It still did.Now, you didn’t have that luxury. You were forced to use flashes of your Semblance, your Aura sputtering in and out like a dying flame. You were pushing yourself to the brink. One hand clung to the rope, fingers fractured, throbbing with every pull, while the other kept Cerise’s limp body from dropping below.It wasn’t impossible, but it was… painful. Painful and brutal. You’d learned to time it, using the lightened moments to climb, pausing when the weight returned. Efficient. Controlled. But the pain… every tug, every small jump felt like hot searing needles that traveled through your fingers towards your entire body. Contrary to what civilians liked to believe, Huntsmen weren’t immune to pain. We just endured it better.Without Aura, though? You felt everything a normal human felt.Maybe this was the first time you’d truly felt how broken bones, well… felt.Finally, you reached the open doors of the floor above. You steadied yourself, timed your jump with a lightened pulse of your Semblance, and vaulted through. Cerise’s weight pressed against your shoulder as you landed. Good. Things were looking up.A long hallway stretched ahead, same sterile walls, same dull light-blue panels. The color was starting to make your head throb.You pressed on. No time to waste. Cerise’s wounds came first. Maybe this Nell she was looking for could help. Surely one of these scientists knew something about medicine, right?You sprinted down the corridor, but barely a minute passed before you stopped cold.It wasn’t a sound, but a smell.Rot. Thick, wet, and putrid. The smell of decaying meat.Flashbacks came. That fight with the man who twisted flesh and bone through his black liquid. Your skin prickled. Nausea climbed up your throat. Your eyes got watery. You still had regular nightmares about that day.You turned a corner. A dozen guards sprawled across the floor, lifeless. Blood and bullet marks painted the walls, ceiling, everything. At the far end, an automated turret swept the corridor in slow, mechanical arcs.
The instant it caught sight of you, the barrel spun up. You ducked back around the corner, then came the stuttering bursts of fire.But nothing hit.You risked a glance. Smoke hissed from the turret’s barrel, jerking with every dry shot. Out of ammo, maybe. Either way, it wasn’t dangerous anymore. Good enough.With your Aura still drained, caution mattered more than speed. You moved forward carefully, past the twitching machine. Fourteen guards, maybe more. All shot. All long dead. The rot thickened the air until it burned your throat. For how long does someone need to be in this state for the smell to get this bad?You covered your nose with your only free hand and kept walking, Cerise’s body on your shoulder.“She lived there with my mom. And now she’s dead.”The voice came from behind you. A young boy’s voice.You turned. Rocky cliffs loomed on both sides, the evening sky fading to violet and orange above. The city ahead clung to the stone walls, houses built into the rock, some hanging with crooked stairways connecting them.A child stood in front of you, crying. His glare burned with anger. Why? You’d just saved his village.You stepped toward him to calm him down, but his crying only grew harsher. He clenched his fists, trembling, eyes full of hate. The raw emotion made you reel back.“Why did you have to do that? My sister’s dead. It’s all because of you!”You followed his gaze. One of the hanging houses was gone, its shattered remains buried at the base of the cliff. Beneath the rubble was a Death Stalker, one of the larger scorpion variants of Grimm. This one was massive. You’d brought the rocks down on it, killed it with a landslide to save the town.The village was safe. But the house had fallen with it.“You killed my sister!”You felt the feathers at the side of your head tremble. You turned again and saw the villagers gathered, staring at you. Fear in their eyes. Lave, your teammate, knelt beside the crying boy, holding him, whispering to him through her own tears. She always had a soft heart.“She did her best. That beast would’ve killed us all.” a man muttered in the crowd.“Yeah, but now the kid lost his sister. Where’s his mom? Don’t tell me she was up there too.”“Don’t they teach Huntsmen to protect civilians first? That was reckless.”“It was necessary.”The words left your mouth before you realized it. The crowd fell silent.“Lave. Let’s go. You’re on patrol tonight. We need to make sure no more Grimm attacks come.”Lave’s tear-streaked face lifted to you, her purple eyes wide and red with emotion.“Shelly?! What’s wrong with you?! We need to help this kid’s sister! Go, look for her!” Her voice cracked. The boy clung to her tighter, his face buried in her chest.
Didn’t she understand? The village was still in danger. Such a lousy team. Still, you weren’t a monster. You’d help her out since it appeared she wasn’t able to do so on her own.“…Fine. I’ll take patrol tonight. You stay and help the kid. If you need me, call. I can use my Semblance to lighten up the rocks so that even you can lift them.”The moment those words escaped your mouth, disgust followed. That wasn’t you. That wasn’t how it happened.Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.You snapped back, blinking hard and breathing harder. The pale blue light returned. You were still in the hallway of corpses.Cerise… Where was Cerise?!She was there, back by the corner, still unconscious on the floor. You started moving towards her, but the stench hit again. Thick. Rancid. Stronger than before.It was coming from your hands.You froze. Rotten blood, pieces of bone and darkened meat clung to your fingers, dripping slowly. You looked down. One of the soldiers lay open before you, his chest torn wide, ribs cracked apart.You were digging into him. Just now.Your stomach twisted. The air spun. You were close to vomiting.> Calm down. Take it slow. Maybe this is just the head injury. Focus on your breathing. Move deliberately. Whatever’s going on in these labs, you’ll find out soon enough.> Run. Whatever this was, it could happen again. Your instincts felt in danger. Move fast, find a door, find a way out. Caution will only get you killed. Go as fast as possible.> Fight back. This isn’t natural. A Grimm? A Semblance? Someone’s trying to twist your mind, dig into your past. You felt your rage surface. You won’t let them. Call them out. Make them regret it. Even this wounded you’re still a threat to anybody. You really wanted this.>Other (Write in)
>>6317727> Calm down. Take it slow. Maybe this is just the head injury. Focus on your breathing. Move deliberately. Whatever’s going on in these labs, you’ll find out soon enough.
>>6317727>> Calm down. Take it slow. Maybe this is just the head injury. Focus on your breathing. Move deliberately. Whatever’s going on in these labs, you’ll find out soon enough.
>>6317727>Autopass due to certain combination of traits!Hallucinations. That’s what these were. You knew it. At least your mind did.You weren’t proud of your past, but it hadn’t happened like that. The memories were wrong. Tampered with. Whatever caused them was external. Or maybe it was the head wound. Either way, you had control now. There was no point in panicking.You went back to Cerise. Her body still lay where you’d left it. Your hands were filthy, slick with blood and worse. You tried wiping them on the wall. It helped a little. The dripping stopped. You crouched down to lift her.A deafening crash shook the world around you. You hit the ground, dazed.When you opened your eyes, fire. A train engulfed in flames. Metal screaming. You knew this place. You knew what came next. The explosion on the rails. The fall. The window jump. The scramble for your weapons.Another hallucination.This wasn’t real.You closed and opened your eyes while breathing slowly. Your hands were wrapped around Cerise’s neck. Inches from choking her. You froze. Every time one of these visions took over, your body acted on its own in a… troublesome manner.You needed an anchor. Something to hold you in reality. Water? There was none. Music? Neither. Pain…Crude, but it might work. You flexed your broken toes. That would do. You could walk with intention, heel first, then a step that pressed against your broken toe. Enough to jolt you if you lost yourself again. Unpleasant, but effective.You lifted Cerise once more. It felt easier this time, your Aura was slowly regenerating, your basic Huntress abilities returning.The hallway waited ahead, the one filled with rot and silence. The broken turret. The corpses.You just had to keep moving. Forward. Always forward.“Look, honey! You’re so tall!” The voice was warm, familiar. A man’s voice. You turned to your left. Your father stood there. Broad-shouldered, brown hair neat beneath his cap, his police coat draped around him like a shield. He was pointing at the wall, where uneven pencil marks climbed slowly upward. Your height, year by year.“I wonder how much you’ll grow next year. You’ll be the tallest girl in Haven once you enroll.” he said with a grin.Your mother stepped into view, some feathers glinting softly in the light, green and blue brushing her neck and arms. “Tell me, Shelly. Do you want to be the tallest girl?”“Yes!” A young voice, your voice, burst out before you could stop it. High, bright, full of energy and enthusiasm. “I’ll be the tallest and strongest, so I can save others like you do, Pa!”“That’s right, dear. Come give us a hug. We have an amazing surprise for you. Do you like dogs or cats better?” You remembered this. The plushies. He was hiding them behind his back. You’d overheard them talking about it earlier, their laughter spilling down the hall.
You stepped forward, smiling.Pain tore through your foot, crawling up your leg. The world warped. You stumbled, catching yourself on one knee. The smell hit you next. Rot, metallic and sour. Cerise’s limp form was still slumped against your shoulder. The bright room was gone. Only the pale, flickering blue light of the hallway remained.You felt something cold fall down from your eyes. Tears. Of course, who wouldn’t feel sad when shown what they have lost?At least no one was here to see.---The hallucinations grew stranger after that. Surreal. Unreal. Eyes sprouting from the walls, Grimm twirling in grotesque dances with each other, a war waged between humans and faunus under a rain of cakes. Ridiculous, but useful. The absurdity made them easier to break. Easier to recognize for what they were.Still, Cerise needed help. She was still breathing, but it was shallow. You couldn’t stop now. Someone in this place, someone alive, might still be able to help.Then another vision came. One from long ago, your early days as a licensed Huntress. You remembered the lake, the ripples on the surface, Grimm silhouettes far away. Your bow was drawn, your eyes aiming at them.Instinct told you to fire. You wanted to let loose.You didn’t.“This isn’t real.” you whispered to yourself again.The image slowly faded.It was brief this time. Faint. Manageable. You were learning. Whether your body was building resistance to some airborne hallucinogen or your mind was adapting, you couldn’t tell. But you’d take the progress.Forward. Always forward.You turned the corner.Three doors stood ahead, massive, metal, split open like paper. Each one at least five feet thick, layers of reinforced alloys and wiring torn apart by something unknown. The edges shimmered faintly, carved runes, cracked and dim.And beyond the last door… a room. Large. Cold. Silent.You moved closer, a slow, deliberate pace. The air changed. A low hum. Then the sound of wings. Flies, dozens, hundreds, drifted past you, not hostile, just... passing. They circled once, drawn to the iron stink of your hands before continuing into the chamber. Maybe they weren’t real. Maybe they were another hallucination.Inside, you saw something… peculiar.People. Standing still. A group of scientists, their white coats shredded and stained. Torn flesh, open wounds, none of them bleeding. Their faces blank, fixed upward towards a metal cage suspended from the ceiling.The ground below it glittered with shards of shattered glass, the remains of a containment dome. The cage itself hung open, heavy metal bars bent outward.Then you looked up again.Someone was there, inside.A girl, small, frail, her body draped in white restraint cloth. Long hair fell over her shoulders. One eye covered by a bandage, the other glimmering a dim silver. She stared down at you from inside the broken cage, her legs dangling lazily between the bars.
“You don’t look like the others.” she said. Her tone was flat, apathetic, calm.“The others? You mean the soldiers?” Was it a mistake to talk to her?She didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze shifted, almost disinterested. “Sis, she’s so interesting. I’m going to play with her a bit more, okay?” A second voice. Childlike. Mischievous. Echoing from somewhere else. You spun toward the sound, scanning the wreckage. Broken terminals, shattered screens, torn cables hanging like vines. It was hard to know where it came from.The girl above didn’t react. She just watched you.Then the swarm of flies descended from her perch, spilling over the scientists like a living shroud. The sound of buzzing filled the room.The bodies turned. Their mouths hung open in silent screams. Not alive. Not dead. Something in between. They faced you. Not attacking. Just watching. Waiting. Of course.Fighting them felt… wrong. They still looked human. Still wore faces that once belonged to people. Would it be okay to fight them?The light changed again all of a sudden, too clean, too bright.You were back in the arena. Haven’s arena.It was exactly how you remembered it: long, rectangular marble floor glistening beneath rows of wooden seats, lanterns hovering in lazy arcs above, and the dome, amber wood and glass, filtering sunlight in golden cascades of light. Djinn statues ringed the walls, their blank eyes fixed on the stage.And across from you stood a girl. Shorter. Red hair tied in a ponytail, armor trimmed in bronze, green eyes gleaming with confidence, holding a musket-spear and a shield.Pyrrha Nikos.The prodigy of Mistral. The “Gem of the East Winds.” The face on the cereal boxes.“Remember, Shelly! Take it easy on her. She’s still learning the ropes!” Professor Shane’s voice echoed from the stands behind you. Lionheart sat beside him, smiling and cheering you both. Around them, half a hundred students murmured in anticipation. This was an important event for the school.Pyrrha smiled, stepping forward. “No! Don’t take it easy on me. I want to learn from my peers as much as possible.” Her voice was bright, disarming. This kind of sincerity was rare.She stopped just a few feet away and extended her hand. The gesture was polite. “It’s a pleasure to spar with an almost graduate, miss. I’ll try my best, so please don’t hold back.” You studied her, the posture, the control, the warmth. She had all the things people claimed you had in the past.Now she was the new favorite. The academy’s darling.And this fight? It would cement who was going to become Mistral’s new favorite, and you knew everyone was hoping for her to be the victorious one. This fight was just a formality.You wanted not to feel envy. Not to feel regret. Not to feel used. Not to feel that everything you've fought for and bled out for was fading because someone allegedly prettier, kinder and stronger arrived.
> Have an honest fight with her. Truly test her the best you can. Go easy if she’s not that good, go harder if she can handle herself. You wouldn’t want to cultivate bad blood between you two.> She took your mantle as the favorite from Haven Academy. It wasn’t done on rightful foundations. Sure, you had a misstep here and there, but who didn’t? If she wanted to become the crowds favorite, she had to earn it. Fight all-out from the start, and fight dirty should the need arise.> This was all an illusion. It was all fake. As much as you wanted to see what would happen in this ‘what if’ fight, you had to go back to reality. Cerise, Sora, Taylor. You had real people that were waiting on you. (Autopass)> Other (Write in)
>>6319337> Have an honest fight with her. Truly test her the best you can. Go easy if she’s not that good, go harder if she can handle herself. You wouldn’t want to cultivate bad blood between you two.
