OK, new story that's going up, now there are a few very important notes that need to be made.
First, this is a combination of RWBY and Dungeons and Dragons, expect strange things to happen that may not fit into the usual universes that these take place in. (like the fact that Grimm are here when there is nothing like them (that's as numerous) in Dungeons and Dragons.)
Second, as to why this isn't in the crossover category, it's because it's more RWBY than Dungeons and Dragon. Also, more attention can be gained this way…Sue me.
To put it simply, this is what I think RWBY would look like if it had aspect of D&D mixed in, so it's going to have the same technology, and the same crap as RWBY. Just this one has Dwarves, Orcs, Elves, Teiflings, amongst other creatures of Dungeons and Dragons.
But now, we begin…
The Origin of Remnant…
In the early day's, the goodly races came to be from Dust, the dwarves forged by the mighty Moradin, the elves and the humans forged by beings long forgotten. They were born into a cold and unforgiving world, a world inhabited by evil. Orcs, hard and brutal, forged by Gruumsh, the Drow (also known as Dark Elves), sadistic and decadent, forged by Lolth, amongst others, but none compared to the Grimm.
Creatures that some say came before the gods themselves almost drove the races into extinction. The dwarves hid in their mountains, Humans hid in their cities, and the Elves wandered the forest, hoping that the creatures wouldn't find them. Each found out ways to kill the beast, the Humans discovered magic and drove the beast away with sacred fire and ice, Elves learned how to track them and kill them with the bow, and the Dwarves learned the art of armor and weapons to combat the beast head on.
But it wasn't enough, the beast beat on the goodly races until hope seemed lost, then…something happened that the Grimm never expected, the races united. The elves, humans, and dwarves fought side by side, learning from each other. The Dwarves taught metal to the races, the humans' magic, the elves the are of shadow, and each learned from the others. Human's embraced metal, becoming armored forces or brutal berserkers like none the world had ever seen before. Dwarves learned the art of stealth, putting their metallurgy into daggers and arrows that cut deeper than any stone or stick, and the Elves embraced magic, putting their own natural energies into it, even the gods gave their aid. Their clerics and paladins giving hope to the masses and death to their enemies.
The greatest gift that was found, was Dust. A strange mineral that predated the gods, it's birth going all the way back to the time of the Primordials. This mineral could be imbued with magic of all types, allowing even the most mindless warrior the ability to use holy fire and magic ice. The barbarians fought with lightning, the dwarves could cloak themselves in darkness, humans could wear the metal of the dwarves without issue, all because of Dust.
The beasts were beaten back and the races flourished, the bonds forged guided the races until even now. Human became numerous, outnumbering the stars; the dwarves became the finest smiths in all the realms, the elves became almost one with nature itself. In time, new bonds would be forged, humans and elves fell in love and created half-elves, dwarves met with Gnomes and developed advanced technology, some of the Dragons became Dragonborn and became friends with the goodly folk, and even amongst the evil races, bonds with the goodly folks emerged, Half-Orcs came to be, strong as the stone, tieflings, decedents of half demons, came to be, as old and wise as ever.
Sadly, some of these bonds with evil that created good would eventually fester into hatred, leaving many alone without love and companionship other than their own kind.
The Grimm were not forgotten, even amongst all this, and the races all agreed on one thing, the Hunters. Men and women dedicated to destroying the evil beast and protecting the innocent, and this is where our story begins…
The waves roared as the ship pulled in at dusk, the sun illuminating the city for the last time before the lights took hold. The plank went down and the passengers disembarked, it was the usual people you'd expect in these times, farmer, warriors, and priest. Two, however, looked unlike any other, two elves disembarked. Their faces uncovered, a male and a female. The females brown hair flapped in the wind, her eyes scanned the coastline. She wore plate mail; she had a shield on her back and a lance in her arms. She also had a long sword strapped to her hip; her companion was similarly armed, though he didn't have the lance.
"Gaia, please reconsider…" The male elf asked as they disembarked, "You believe to find answers here? In this city?"
"Celecion," The female known as Gaia said as she turned, "I know that you mean well, but if that seer was right…"
"That seer was a blind old hag, your sister is dead by the hands of Orcs, it's nothing more." The male replied back, his voice pleading.
"You know as well as I do that isn't the whole truth, our queen is wise, but even she can't tell us all." Gaia said firmly as she started towards the inn.
"But…" Celecion tried to reply but Gaia cut him off.
"My sister didn't die at the hands of an Orc; she was far too skilled for that and far too skilled to wander into a situation that would take her life." Gaia said as she neared the inn.
"She had a friend in the tribe, couldn't he have…" Celecion asked, but Gaia's laugh cut him off.
"You mean Vaarg? He may have been a good hunter, but he was never smart enough to pull off an ambush like that. She wasn't killed by Orcs, Celecion, I know this, I can feel it in my soul." Gaia said, her voice becoming sad enough to make Celecion pause. His own eye became sad, but for a different reason. They sat at the bar, Gaia looking around while Celecion ordered some food and drink. Her eyes fell on a dwarf sitting near them; she couldn't stop a feeling of caution as she looked at him.
He…didn't feel right, not in a bad way, just…like he was hiding something, her eyes drifted over to a corner where a large being sat. His back was to her, but she could see the rippling muscle on his back for he wore no shirt. The food came, two slabs of ham along side two mugs of wine. The pair started eating and, as they got about halfway through their meals, the doors to the inn burst open. Four men came in, jeering and laughing, and sat at a table.
"Wench!" one of them yelled at a serving girl, "Fetch me and my friends a drink!"
The maid nodded and went off to fill the order, bringing their drink as quick as possible. One of the men grabbed her as she walked past, his eyes widening.
"Well, nice to see a nice pair of tits around, so far…me and my boys haven't seen a good looking woman for ages," The man said as he leaned in, moving his hand towards the girls breast, "Don't fight, most women would kill to have me, Ivan Heart."
Gaia's eyes widened at the name, even amongst her people, that name was known. A prince who lechery knew no bounds, he was untouchable because of his name. Many a farm girl and serving girl were either dead or forever soiled by his touch. The girl slapped the man, making his face one of rage.
"You bitch!" The man yelled, readying his hand for a slap, Gaia almost moved to stop him, but someone beat her to it. The hand was caught by another, even bigger hand, the princes head turned to see the face of the man whose back was to Gaia. The face of a snarling Half-Orc, his teeth shined in the lamplight of the bar.
"Bastard son of a king," The Half-Orc, his voice deep and rough, said as he started to squeeze the hand, the bones cracking, "Looking for a nice place to shove your manhood? There's some bitches outside more suited for you, dog."
The crowd went silent, even Gaia, one who was about to step in, was stunned. Not just at the words, which was bad enough, but the savior. Half-Orcs were rarely seen helping someone, and the fact that he stood up to a noble was even more shocking. The prince cried as the bones cracked again, this time, Gaia knew that the hand was going to take a long time to heal.
The crowd gasped as the serving girl suddenly pulled a dagger and slashed at the prince's throat, only to be stopped by one of the guards who weren't as drunk as he appeared.
"I thought I recognized you," The guard said, his foul smelling breath going right into the girls face, "You're Brook, the assassin from the guild. Nice to…make your acquaintance."
The man said with a hand moving down her body, this time, a lance suddenly stopped it.
"That's enough human," Gaia said as she pulled her lance back, "This…debacle is over."
"You think that's it?" The Half-Orc laughed as he let go of the prince's hand, "You think these men came looking a woman? That's a laugh."
"And why is that, beast?" The elf said, her voice filled with disdain, the kind the Half-Orc was dealing with.
Insert Righteous Side of Heaven by Five Finger Deathpunch
"Because, I know these kinds of men, they're here for a fight." The Half-Orc said, right before he leapt back from a sword blow. Gaia turned to see one of the soldiers trying to hack at her; the elf quickly dodged and slammed the side of her lance into his face. That's when the guard who she stopped earlier drew his long sword and charged, Gaia blocked the strike with her own sword. The Half-Orc drew his own blade, a short sword, and blocked another strike; the man received a hard knee to the gut before a sword slam to the head knocked into the table.
The noise of the fighting reached outside, for another group of guards had come in. They took one look at the raging Half-Orc and drew their blades; Gaia and her opponent were ignored as they readied themselves. The elf and her opponent's blades clashed in a spark, Gaia was a trained soldier but this man had fought in some of the bloodiest battle in recent memory, he was on par with her. Their fighting was briefly interrupted when the Half-Orc suddenly threw a man through a wall near them.
The man and elf locked eyes and ran out into the open, where their blades would be more effective. Gaia and the man dueled as the crowd watched, blades sparking in the night, the flowing hair of the beautiful elf whipping around, and the snarls of the man went into the night. The Half-Orc had no such artful things happen to him as he stabbed a man in the gut, before punching another man out into the streets.
The soldiers had the bright idea to start running, but the Half-Orc charged after them. His attention was lost, however, when he saw the elf and the man dueling. Their blades locked once again, this time they locked eyes as well. Gaia saw a man who was going to kill her, his eyes blazed with some of the purest evil she could see in a man, it was akin to the Drow whom she had fought in the past.
His eyes went wide as a wet thud could be heard, Gaia's eye went wide as she saw the source, a dagger was lodged in his temple. He fell to the ground as she turned to regard the Half-Orc, who had just thrown said knife.
"I didn't need your help, beast." Gaia said as the creature approached.
"I know, but that man sure as hell didn't look like he was going to play fair," The Half-Orc said as he started going through the mans pockets, laughing as he pulled up a vial of poison, "A coward who hides in the guise of a warrior, bastard."
Gaia didn't respond as the Half-Orc got to his feet, her obvious dislike coming off in waves. Celecion came outside as the Half-Orc started to walk away, drawing his sword as he walked past.
"Halt, half-breed," The male elf said, making the Half-Orc stop in his tracks, "You killed five men in there, including the prince."
"So? If he didn't waste time like the kobold licker he was, he wouldn't have died like a bitch being put down. Besides, he attacked a serving girl, I was justified." The Half-Orc said as he walked up to the elf, towering over him.
"You're a monster," The elf responded, making Gaia wince, she knew what this was about, Celecion's family had been murdered by Orcs and he viewed all creatures related to them as creatures to be exterminated, "You're no better than a rabid dog, you and your kind don't belong here."
"My kind?" The Half-Orc said, his eyes getting wide with rage, "My kind? Orcs? Humans? Which do you refer to?"
Celecion's eyes widened with rage.
"You dare compare humans to Orcs? They are nothing alike; you soil your heritage with that slander." Celecion said, his voice getting angrier. Gaia's mind was working, she was…afraid. Her friend's arrogance and hatred was pissing off this warrior, while he may be a great fighter, a Half-Orc was far more dangerous when provoked.
She almost reminded him of this fact, but was cut off by the Half-Orc roaring and slamming his fist into the male elves gut. The elf took the blow and drew his sword, ready for a fight. That's when the Half-Orc revealed something else, a net suddenly appeared in his arms, from gods know were, and he threw it around his opponents feet and pulled.
Celecion fell to the ground in a heap, but the elf recovered quickly, slashing at his bonds and freeing his feet, but was only just able to block his opponents slash at his chest. The blow rang out across the street, attracting attention from the locals. They turned the other way, this violence had gotten common these days and today was no different.
Celecion did a flip away, making room for his blade to work with, and rushed in. An elf would normally be faster than a Half-Orc, but…this was not such a day. The beast responded with a slash that Celecion was only barely able to counter, and followed up with a brutal punch that sent the smaller male flying back. The elf tried to rise, but the Half-Orc punted him across the street, sending him into a fruit stand.
Gaia's eyes widened, she knew that a Half-Orc was faster than and as strong as their more brutish ancestors, but this was…disturbing. She almost didn't react as the Half-Orc raised his blade, ready to plunge it into her friends' heart. She readied her lance to throw; she lined up the shot, only for Celecion to slide beneath the beings legs.
She cursed as he got in her way, she couldn't make the shot, and then her friend jammed his blade into the Half-Orcs side. Gaia yelled as the blade sunk in, something about Half-Orcs stuck out to her, they could shake off wounds like nothing. Celecion smiled, right before the Half-Orc grabbed him and stabbed him in the stomach with his respective blade.
The elf gasped, blood coming out of this mouth, and the Half-Orc collapsed to the ground. Celecion turned to Gaia, his face one of shock. He took a few steps towards her and fell to the ground, blood seeping from a fatal wound. Gaia ran to his side, taking his hand as she landed.
End Music…
"Gaia…" He gasped out, his voice wet with blood.
"Don't talk; it will only make it worse." Gaia said, trying to help her friend.
"Too…late, must…tell you, the truth," The elf gasped out, getting Gaia's attention, "Sister…We…didn't tell you…too horrible…"
Gaia leaned in closer, "What happened?"
"A…Abomination…couldn't be…be allowed…Sacrifice…for the greater…good…" Celecion gasped out, he had more to say, but an armored foot came down and crushed his throat. Gaia yelled as she looked up to see the Half-Orc, his face on of rage.
"You…You idiot!" She yelled as she got up, "He was going to tell me the truth! The truth about…"
Gaia was cut off by the Half-Orc suddenly grabbing her; she realized how weak she felt suddenly. The Half-Orc's face became one of worry; he looked over and saw the source. A small cut on her arm, he could almost see the poison. Gaia felt numb, the last thing she felt before the darkness took her, was her body being picked up.
At the docks…
The dwarf from earlier trailed behind Brook, the human girl had donned a black good and was slinking through the streets, she didn't notice him. The dwarf was concerned, the girl seemed distressed, but he didn't know why. Her target was dead, why was she so afraid? He followed her until she came across a fortress, he recognized it. It was the fortress of the Laughing Coffin guild, one of the many assassin guilds in Vale and one of the most dangerous.
The dwarf looked around, the girl had gone in the front entrance, but he knew that wouldn't work for him. He smiled as he saw a window about ten meters up, a normal dwarf could never make that jump…
In the fortress…
Brook took a few tentative steps in, she knew what awaited her in the headmaster's chambers and she wanted to stave it off as long as possible.
"Brook!" Came a female voice to her right, she turned to see her companion, a teenager with suntanned skin came running beside her, "I heard about what happened, are you all right?"
"I'm all right, Sena," Brook said, taking the girls hand in hers and giving it a firm squeeze, "I'm all right."
"Good," Sena said, turning Brook to look deep into her eyes, "I was scared for a moment there."
The girls stared into each others eyes for a moment, unaware of their curious observer. The dwarf was looking at them from the chandelier, his eyes wide and thoughtful.
That's more than just a friendship or familial bonds…The dwarf thought to himself, his manner not changing.
"Brook, I've got to go, the headmaster is sending me to Atlas." Sena said, breaking the eye contact.
"Atlas?" Brook asked, her voice filling with dread.
"Yes, I don't know why…" Sena said, not noticing the fear in her eyes. Brook knew exactly why, and she held back her tears.
"I've…I've got to go, the headmaster will want to see me." Brook whimpered, her eyes watering.
"Hey, wait!" Sena yelled as the assassin took off, her face one of concern. She didn't have time to go after her; if she failed to leave…there would be hell to pay for the both of them.
In the headmaster's chamber…
"Brook Ellis," The middle aged man said, his eyes scanning the young girl, "What do you have to report?"
"The mark is…dead sir." The girl stammered out, knowing why she was being looked at so harshly.
"Yes, he is dead," The man said as he got to his feet, "But…not by your hand."
"No, but he is…" Brook stammered out before the headmaster cut her off.
"That's not the point!" The headmaster roared, running to get into the girls face, "When I fished you out of that brook eighteen years ago, I expected you to become a prodigy! Now what do you say? You failed?"
"The target is dead! Isn't that what matters?" Brooks said, taking a step back.
"What matters is that he died by the hands at some Half-Orc vagabond! The reputation of this guild relies on our ability to kill and to be able to take the credit for our kills! A random Half-Orc? Our clients will think us incapable of doing our own work!" The man yelled, spittle hitting Brooks face. She didn't flinch, she knew what this was truly about, and it had nothing to do with her target or reputation. It was no secret that the man in front of her was a pig, one who had a taste for…younger stock.
"I believe I know what your…conflict is coming from," The man said, smiling, "You and that girl Sena, I believe her name to be, you're close right?"
Brook eyes widened, she knew that everyone knew about her having problems with work and that the headmaster wanted to keep her around for…tasks, but her and Sena had been keeping their relationship a secret.
"Surprised? I have many spiders and birds in this place; did you think to escape unnoticed?" The man said, his voice becoming lower and more defined, "I've sent her off to Atlas, but her ship will never arrive."
Brooks's eyes widened at this, she knew instantly what he intended to ask.
"I could be…persuaded to allow her to…return." The man said, taking the side of her head in his palm. Brook wanted to vomit, she knew that this man didn't threaten lightly and she knew that he was capable of ensuring Sena's death. Brook eyes closed, she knew exactly what she had to do.
"Oi!" Came a new voice, this one from the entrance. They both turned to face an angry dwarf, "Is this how you get your pole up? Through deceit and subterfuge?"
"Who are you? Guards!" The headmaster yelled, his anger apparent.
"Right here." The dwarf said with a smile, throwing two heads at the pair. They didn't flinch as the heads flew past them; they had already assumed the guards were slain. The dwarf came into the light, allowing the pair a good look at him. He wore chainmail under a brown and red traveling robe, in his hands; he bore an axe and a staff. He looked like most dwarves, the exception being his beard seemed to be a little crazy, like it had been burned off and regrown.
"What business do you have here, dwarf?" The headmaster asked, taking his hands off of
Brook.
"Me business is to kill a fat bastard whom has been discovered to be using evil magic for his own purposes, raising the dead, binding souls to fuel yer own power, that sort of thing. As well as other crimes that I make up as I see em, like this one." The dwarf said with a sad smile at Brook.
"Your interference will only bring destruction down upon you and this girl!" The headmaster yelled, throwing Brook at the dwarf, who caught her and set her upright.
"Me interference? You already marked that ship for Lolth; they're as good as dead." The dwarf said, his voice getting angrier. Brooks's eyes widened, Lolth was the goddess of chaos, if Sena was on a ship marked for her…
"By the gods no…" Brook said, turning to face the headmaster, "Why? I always knew that you were ambitious and greedy, but why?"
"You don't know what's coming," The man said with a grin, "I've seen the future in the stars, and I know what is to come. I'm making sure I have a place after it all; no Elven woman is going to give me orders. I am a god amongst mortals! I refuse to be treated as one treats a dog!"
Insert Moonchild Iron Maiden…
"Woman? Human, I'm not here for such things; I come to claim your head!" The dwarf yelled as he started to run at the man, the human threw a knife, hitting him right in the chest. The blow made the dwarf stumble and allowed the headmaster to perform a kick to the beings head, knocking him across the room.
The human rushed in, grabbing a sword from his thigh and readied to plunge it into the dwarves chest. Only to dodge a knife thrown at him, the man and dwarf turned to see Brook with a face of pure hatred reading her duel daggers.
"Brook, you stand against me as well? So be it…" The headmaster muttered, charging the girl. They fought in a deadly dance of death, Brook was outmatched in experience but she had speed on her side. Still, it wasn't enough to get a hit on her opponent, the headmaster leaped back, throwing another dagger.
Brook dodged, only to see the headmaster smiling, she turned to the doorway to see another woman, this ones face covered by a hood. Brooks eyes widened, this was the headmaster's pet wizard, a woman whose name was known by no one. Brook knew exactly what this wizard was capable of, she had seen her burn men alive, freeze horses solid, and even made a group of Orcs die in a miasma of poison.
"This is your last chance, Brook." The headmaster said with a victorious smile which fell when he saw Brooks determined eyes, she knew that if she died, at least she would be with Sena in time, "Fine then, burn her."
The mage nodded and conjured up a flames spell, Brook closed her eyes, waiting for the pain, only to hear an odd sound. She opened her eyes and saw that the flames had been stopped inches from her, her confusion was mirrored in the faces of all the humans there. They turned to see the dwarf on his feet, dwarven symbols glowing on his robe.
"Burn her? That's funny," The dwarf said, slamming his staff down on the ground, creating lights, "I was going to tell you and your harlot over there to burn in hell!"
Flames spewed from the ground, Brook stood transfixed before the dwarf yelled at her.
"You're in the way, lass!" The dwarf yelled, prompting Brook to leap back. The human wizard raised her hand creating a shield to block the flames, the gesture made the dwarf smile, "You've spent so long casting to kill, you've forgotten how to defend!"
The flames from the dwarf overcame the other wizards shield, basking her in flames. The woman's screams filled the room, right before she turned to ash. Brook turned to face the headmaster; only to find that he had ran away. She cursed as she started after him, the man going onto the fortress walls, basking him in the moonlight. He stopped as he reached the edge, he turned to face Brook.
"You've killed her, for what!?" Brook yelled, moving ever closer.
"I…I needed to! She was a distraction! I was trying to make you a better assassin!" The headmaster begged, making Brook face become one of disgust.
"You didn't do it for that, but you did succeed on that count." Brook yelled, slashing at his neck. Only for her blade to sink right through it, her eyes widened. It was an illusion!
She whirled around to see the real headmaster mounting his griffon; the bastard bought it a long time ago for just such this. She heard the dwarf run to her side, his curses going into dwarvish as he flew away.
"Hey, can you use a bow?" The dwarf asked suddenly, making Brooks head turn, she nodded.
"He's to far away, there's no way to hit him." Brook said, her voice hopeless. The dwarf offered her a bow that he had found.
"Not for a wizard, if you can make the shot, I can guide it to him," The dwarf said, the girl taking the bow with another nod. She readied her arrow, listening to the dwarf mutter a spell, "Now."
The assassin launched the arrow and felt a gust of wind behind her, it felt like a storm and it propelled the arrow far beyond her arm. The headmaster turned to give the guild one last goodbye, only to see an arrow go right into his eye. Brook and the dwarf watched as the man fell from his mount, even if he survived the arrow, the fall killed him for sure.
"Thank you." Brook said simply, turning to the dwarf.
"It was nothing, was sent here to kill the bastard as my last duty to a friend," The dwarf said, taking out a wine skin and taking a swig, "So lass, what are you going to do now?"
"I…I don't know, I don't have anywhere to go…" The girl said hopelessly, falling to her knees.
"Why don't you come with me?" The dwarf said with a moment of hesitation, "I'm on me way to join the Beacon guild, good work for good people. Being a Hunter that is."
"But…why would they accept me? I'm an assassin, nothing more." Brook said, lowering her head.
"If that's what stopping you, you don't know history very well, they will accept you. Trust me lass." The dwarf said with a smile, Brook looked at his honest face and smiled back.
"Ok." She replied back.
"Oh, by the way, me names Owedan, Owedan Rubymace." The dwarf said with a smile.
"Brook Ellis." The girl replied.
End Music…
At Beacon…
Gaia woke with a start; she almost leapt out of bed, but stopped when she saw the bandages on her arm.
"Calm down," Came a smooth voice to her side, she turned to regard an Elven man with silver hair, "You're safe."
"Who are…?" The Elven maiden replied but the male cut her off.
"My name is Ozpin, I'm the headmaster of this guild, and you are at Beacon." The elf known as Ozpin said with a smile.
"What happened?" Gaia asked, holding her head.
"You were poisoned, nightshade, lucky your friend got you here when he did, he managed to stabilize you long enough to get you here." Ozpin said, grabbing a cup of tea and drinking deeply.
"Friend…" Gaia replied, trying to remember.
"The Half-Orc?" Ozpin responded, his face getting concerned.
"That man is not my friend." Gaia said with venom, her voice low.
"Besides that, he did save you; you might want to thank him if you ever see him again." Ozpin said, ignoring the Elven maiden's words.
"He's not here?" Gaia asked, her voice slightly surprised.
"No, he said that he would rather wait until initiation to see you." Ozpin said with a sip of tea.
"Initiation? But…how did he know?" Gaia asked, her face growing more confused.
"I asked the same question, he said he overheard you talking about it." Ozpin said, his face not changing.
"Did…Did he say who he was?" Gaia asked, her face still one of confusion.
"Yes, he said his name wad Uruk Blood-Teeth," Ozpin paused as he saw Gaia's face become one of shock, "Name mean something to you."
"No, it doesn't…" Gaia said, Ozpin decided not to push the matter.
"Rest up; you have a long road ahead of you." Ozpin said, getting to his feet, leaving Gaia alone.
"Blood-Teeth, it can be, they're all dead…" Gaia whispered.
And that's that, now before you go, let me explain some things.
First, in this universe, there are things like cars, airships, and guns. None of these characters used them…yet.
Second, Gaia was created by my associate Zivon96, whom I've worked with a lot and want to thank for his help, on this and other project.