Welp. I died. Should've seen it coming really. The one time I take the taxi instead of the stranger danger car sharing app, the driver turns out to be a hitman. Well, regardless of that I been falling in this black void for I wanna say…. Hour. Hour half. I am not an idiot I read bad fanfiction and even worse carbon copy isekais. I will probably end up in some manga or fantasy world.

I hope it's something cool.

I sigh. No it probably won't be.

Two hours of falling gives me time to think. Maybe my mind was poisoned by the dreadful animes. This could just be the afterlife. If it is, this afterlife sucks.

My life wasn't so bad. A 20 something living in a decent apartment, two solid friends, and family I only talk to when necessary.

… I should have called more. I'm sorry dad. Mom. Little brother. Please don't make my funeral too expensive.

Oh. I started crying.

...

It's kinda warm here.

Yet not… room temperature? No. That's not it.

I'm not alone. Well, I am. But, I am seeing an outline of me. I think… Maybe? I hope that's not the Truth. That's a whole can of worms I am not ready to open.

I give the outline a friendly wave.

Nothing back. Oh wait! Nope. Nevermind. Oh wait again! It is waving. Slowly but it is waving. Oh wait he's actually flipping me off.

I would have preferred a volleyball over you.

So, then. I refuse to call you Truth so…Other Self? Bit of a mouthful.

Void Man? Hmm… It might not be a man.

Void Guy? Not a fan of the word 'guy'.

Dark Void? Maybe.

Void Lord? Hey that sounds pretty cool.

Void Lord. Dark Void on special occasions. Be happy Void Lord. I gave you a cool name.

You listening in on my thoughts? I think you are. Because my head feels light and also you are looking at me.

I hope this is some kind of long wait to be reincarnated rather than my fate for all eternal non-existence.

This dark void is such a pain. If I am being yanked off into another world I and not suffering in loneliness for all time, it's taking its sweet time for sure. That being said is suffering in this place any better than suffering in whatever place I end up?

Ah screw it. YO! Void Lord, get me out of this place right bloody now!

GIVE ME MY ISEKAI WORLD!

Have it be magical, hot anime babes who aren't always used for fanservice, no shitty series about friendship is power, no series where everyday life is hell and especially not a shitty series where the main MC is a dumbass!

I want new clothes too! A functional black cloak with a hood! Red boots with little tiny cool bones near the upper part! Chainmail too! Also a utility belt! With a bag of holding! Give me kickass hair and eyes too! Don't forget weapons! An ironwood staff and a pure silver blade! Let me fall in a place where I can live a comfortable live in a position of power over the entire world! You hear me you crappy Truth knock off listening into my thoughts?!

Goddamn I am riled up now! I can't exactly go by my old name now. Hmm… alright I already described my dnd character pretty much so I might as well take his name!

"YOU HEAR ME, NEW WORLD?! I AM GALAHAD GRIMMSLEY AND YOU ARE GOING TO BE MY OYSTERS BITCH!" As I finished my declaration, a light started shining at the bottom and the outline was grinning and pointing down.

I bring my arms up to guard my face and I feel an absurdly large grin creeping up on my face as well. Life may have ripped away my peaceful life and squeezed lemon juice in my eyes, but to hell with life! I am going to take your lemons and BURN DOWN YOUR HOUSE!

OH SHIT THAT'S THE GROUND.

*CRACK*


Salem was not sure what to make of the large black orb that appeared over domain and blotted all light from the sky. The mistress of all darkness is not often shocked however the entity is an unusual unknown existence to her. Since it appeared the grimm around her domain started to dissolve, but not the same way when they were killed. Their essence and the black pools were going to the orb.

This will not do.


Ow. I am in searing pain. Well my arms are at least, but …. It's a manageable pain. Okay, it makes me want to cry but I am holding it back in as much as I can. Can't have my first moment in the new world be pathetic weeping face down on the ground right? I take some deep breaths and the pain slowly fades away and I force myself to a kneeling position. I grasp the sand with a cupped hand and slowly pour it back. It felt odd like someone who copied and pasted the same sand particle over and over. The ominous purple crystals aren't really helping. I steel myself and approach the closest crystal. I give myself a once over and I just gotta say. Nice. I do a little finger gun thing.

"Pew-pew." My eyes are green now, but the cool part? Three pupils in each eye. My eye sight is actually better now too! No more glasses for this Asian! Dark blue hair is a bit tacky but hey. That is a my bad. I only said cool hair. I could also do without the red eye drawing on my chest, but my cloak is super cool. There is like a couple red outlines on the outer cape and the inner cape is completely crimson.

My sword looks like someone poured molten steel into a mold and did nothing else to it, real shiny though, with the blade being about 3 feet. There is also a huge empty circle where the blade and cross-guard meet. Maybe it's an invisible gem? I stuck my fingers through it. Nope, it's just empty space.

I wonder how sharp this thing is. I swung my sword at the crystal as a little experimental downward swing and uh... cut it half... So my blade is a Infinity+1 sword. I am okay with this.

My wood staff is a 5 foot long piece of tree branch being gnarled at the top. I smacked the crystal with it and made it into an old looking pillar. It is a fine piece of modern art if I say so myself. I even didn't hit it that hard!

Thank you wish granting Dark Void. I will treasure these weapons forever. The Void also gave me semi-translucent purple slug looking feelers. Although, all the changes I wanted were hair and eyes. I mean its still okay I guess. It is something I can overlook since I was given literally everything I demanded. Even the bag of holding. Either way I put both the sword and the staff in the burlap of holding. I'll think of names for them later. I felt a cold round thing, but I'll just worry about that later.

I take better look around my surrounding and my mouth dropped. The moon is cracked apart and some black orb is slowly disappearing. Oh god no. I am in Remnant, somewhere near Salem. I just thought I was in the dessert with all the hollows! Dammnit Void I take back my thanks! Oh jeez oh jeez oh jeez.

This is bad. I don't have enough combat experience to fight any of the bad guys in RWBY! Much less the Big Bad. I had a desk job for god's sake. Ah man. I'm gonna start crying again. Hold it in you coward. Okay this can work. I close my eyes, clasp my hands together and bring it to my forehead. What is left but to start praying.

Void Lord I am sorry I took my thanks back. You can have it. Just get me out of here.

"Greetings child. What are you doing so far from home?"

Void you can just go suck the biggest of pickles, may your lips be forever puckered and your tongue always taste of vinegar. I shut my eyes even harder and prayed my death will be swift.

"My child?"

...

...

...

Why aren't I dead yet? I open one eye and low and behold. Salem in all her unholiness. I knew I recognized her voice. She hasn't killed me yet, so that's a plus. How the hell can I get out of this?

Option A: Hey, there Salem. I am from a world where your reality is a web show. Hell no. That will lead to torture and and my death once I give all the information I know.

Option B: I am the god of destruction, bow to me! HELL THE MORE NO. Can't risk her being the goddess of darkness or light like all the fan theories suggest. This will also lead to death and torture.

Option C: Pretend to be an evil cultist. I mean that worked out for Tyrian. As long as I seem devoted to my cult, it might extend my lifespan just a bit more. Being the leader sounds good, that implies importance. Have to be respectful as well, I remember how Salem hates people questioning her. The Void Lord is a good god as any, even if he is kinda a prick and may or may not exist. Alright game face. Don't you cry you self insert MC. Smile to hide the fear and be graceful and nonthreatening as possible. Arms wide now.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you mistress Salem. I am the leader of the Cult of the Lost. My master has heard of your exploits and I wish to devote my life to you." Oh, dear god this sounds so much dumber when I say it out loud.

"Is that true, now? Follow me to my abode then. We have much to discuss." She said with a turn and a nod of her head.

Holy hell is this working? I completely expected to die again. No Grimmsley. Be back on guard. You never even touched the frying pan, you went straight into the fire and still burning. Bluff as much as you can, then bolt when you plant your feet in any of the four kingdoms.


Salem is very, very old. With that age she has seen many things. The rise and fall of many kingdoms and many heroes who try to slay her. It would not be untrue for one to say that she has worldly knowledge on nearly everything that ever existed on Remnant. In spite of her intelligence she was not prepared for what came out of the orb. A man, no. A small teenager, barely the age of the one she took under her guidance quite recently fell to the earth in a spectacular fashion the black orb dissolving as he fell. When she finally made it to him, he split open one of the crystals in the landscape and smashed it into a complex statue. Then he clasped his hands and started praying. Salem did not understand why, but this small action unsettled her. She pushed that unneeded feeling aside and offered a polite greeting.

"Greetings child. What are you doing so far from home?" She said with a grace benefiting royalty only to be met with silence. A lesser woman would have felt a little irked.

"My child?" The boy merely opened one of his eyes and his stare was fixed on her and at that moment, she felt weighed down. He was wrong. Something that should not exist in Remnant or rather something that could not possibly exist in remnant. Before she could make a move the weight was lifted, his demeanor changed and he smiled with his arms outstretched in a welcoming pose.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you mistress Salem. I am the leader of the Cult of the Lost. My master has heard of your exploits and I wish to devote my life to you." She blinked. This was unexpected.

"Is that true, now? Follow me to my abode then. We have much to discuss." A new piece has been introduced and Salem is nothing but resourceful on the use of her pieces.

###

Neither party offered any conversational starters on the walk back to her castle. Salem found it a bit on the refreshing side. Usually when her subordinates followed her it was either fearful silence and averted gazes from her form or ramblings on how great she was.

This was a natural silence. A comfortable silence.

The pair eventually made their way to the inner meeting room. Six wooden chairs surrounding a purple crystal table and a throne of the same crystal at the end. Salem took the throne and gestured the Otherworlder the wooden chair closest to her.

Before she could ask her questions, the child reached into a burlap sack around his belt and pull out... a teapot? She noticed a string on the handle on the teapot and as he pulled it out further, she saw the string tied around the handles of two tea cups. Salem was quite a bit baffled. Not at the tea set itself for it was nothing too extravagant, the set itself being a plain white. However the tea set was clearly larger than the burlap sack.

'He has access to True Magic? I can feel the enchantments on that tea set. How does he have access to long dead magic?'

"Would you like some tea?" She merely nodded in curiosity. The tea cups broke away from the string that tied it down and made a place in front of them. The teapot then floated over her cup and began pouring. The tea was quite fragrant. After it finished pouring, the pot put itself down. Salem wanted to ask questions about the teapot, but that would come at a later time. There are more important things to learn.

"Young one, although you seem to know quite a bit about me already, I know nearly nothing about you. Could you give me your name?"

"My name is Galahad Grimmsley."

'Galahad Grimmsley? The people of remnant have long adopted the Color Naming Rule to express themselves. Ignoring that, naming yourself after my children would be considered sacrilege and he would have been burned at the stake 200 years ago.'

"What is your purpose for revealing yourself so close to my home?"

"I wish to have you join my faith. The Void Lord has taken note of your actions and sent me, Its Herald, to extend the offer." Salem's eyes narrowed.

"And what would happen if I refuse this offer?" She will not answer to anyone. Her plan will not be interrupted by some stranger offering her to be subservient to his master.

"Nothing." She blinked.

"Nothing?" Grimmsley took a sip of his tea.

"The Void Lord has taken a liking to you. Your actions are the embodiment of my faith. Your ruthlessness, your cunning, and your ambition far surpass even mine. In fact my lord wishes for me to join your ranks, if you rejected the offer, a decision I wholeheartedly agree with." Grimmsley took another sip.

'That is... interesting.'

She took a sip of the tea as well. Elderberry tea. Her favorite.

"And just who is this Void Lord?"

"A being that transcends natural understanding. It can be referred to as the world, sometimes the universe, often as god, it is also the truth. The Void Lord is master of both creation as well as destruction. My master does not have traditional means of communication like human tongue, so much of its teachings are undecipherable even to me. Certain old books even claim the Void Lord predates even the Brothers Deity. Although I believe that might be false. Some others book claim that the Void Lord is the older brother of Darkness."

'Older brother? Remnant has always understood it as the brother of darkness being the younger of the two.'

"How can it be assured that you would not betray me?"

"Only my word. However if you wish I can form a Blood Oath with you to insure my loyalty."

'A Blood Oath. How long has it been since I heard those words? To form a Blood Oath is no small matter. A contract if broken would mean cessation of the soul itself. The last one was formed was nearly 6000 years ago between my old enemy and four young girls. Grimmsley is no fool. The look in his eyes says clearly that he knows what he is offering to me. There is no way anyone with the knowledge of a Blood Oath will offer it as a bargaining tool, even as a bluff.' Salem smiled.

"Fufu. An unnecessary temptation. I believe your word to be true. That being said we should discuss your future at my side." Galahad returned the smile.

"Of course mistress Salem. I am aware the that your current objective is to obtain the Fall Maiden, Amber and you set Cinder to that task, is that right?"

'So, the current Fall Maiden's name is Amber? Watts had his information network scour every database possible and turned up nothing. But here it is, her name on a silver platter.'

"That is indeed true. Although, I wonder how did you obtain this information even on of my trusted subordinates have failed to obtain a name, did your other master reveal this information to you already?"

"Indeed, it has. It decided I needed to be privy on vital matters. Although, it has not given me everything. Even now my connection to my master wanes and in time might be lost entirely."

Salem hummed. 'He has only just arrived here, but communication with this Void Lord is nearly lost already. This may be a blessing, should it be gone entirely, he would be completely devoted to me.'

"Has your master told you anything else about the Maiden?"

"She has light brown skin, brown hair, and a mole under her eye. She also dislikes efficient modes of transportation and instead rides horses along the countryside in a leisurely pace. Ozpin, like the fool he is, also refused to simply force her on a bullhead because and I am paraphrasing here 'because he values her freedom.'"

Salem had to stifle down a chuckle. 'That sounds just like him.'

"Is it safe to assume you wish to aid Cinder on her quest then?"

"NO!" She was taken aback at his outburst, till now his attitude was calm and this display of emotion was unexpected. His purple antennae standing at attention and his odd eyes wide. The queen did also not miss how the feeling of wrongness came back even if slightly.

"... I apologize for that outburst mistress. I will not assist Cinder on obtaining more power. If she wishes to be powerful then she can do it herself. In the circumstance that failure happens then she was simply not suited to be your Fall Maiden and she should be rid of ."

'He refuses to coddle anyone and wants them to succeed on their own. Failure should not be tolerated and pieces should be tossed aside if useless. A pragmatic mind just like my own.'

"It is forgiven. Then if you will not assist Cinder then what will you be doing then?"

"You wish to deprive humanity of strength, so I shall be stripping them of their strength."

"And how will you do that?"

"I shall poison their crops and deprive them of dust. A guardians loyalty to ones kingdom is well and good, but that loyalty is only as strong as long as the family of the guardian is well fed. People can understand if Grimm were to destroy the crops, but anger will be directed at them. Should the fault of crops failure be placed on the famers, then they shall turn on their friends they value so much just for the chance of food. In a nearby vein, dust shortages because some will be hoarding all the means to repel Grimm will allow the natural divisions in humanity to be more pronounced."

'Such a dastardly plan!' Salem's face lit up with unrivaled glee. 'Remnants farmers are tough enough to give, even my inner circle, a hard enough time in a fair fight, so I was never truly able to strike at their crops, but this man can surely finally be able to do so.'

"This has been an enlightening chat. I shall call one of my subordinates back and have him lead you into any farmland you wish tomorrow. Is there anything you require to carry out your task?"

"Only money and large amounts of salt."

"Consider it done. This has been such a interesting chat, Galahad Grimmsley." A seer Grimm entered through the doors and stayed near the entrance. "The Seer shall lead you to your quarters, we have much to do tomorrow."

Grimmsley stood up and nodded. "Indeed we do mistress." With that statement being said he bowed and left Salem alone with her thoughts.

'This really is interesting. Ozpin, soon your destiny shall arrive. For I have obtained such a fearsome and capable piece.'


This walk is terrifying. I wanna go home. How am I still alive?! My feet hurt so much and we are still walking!

Oh god why is there so many stairs?!

Oh thank gods above, chairs. Wait! Body don't sit down yet. Remember that manga, unless the host sits first and tells you to sit. It would be rude to do so. I am quite sure Salem won't cut off your relationship with neck, but don't risk it.

I take a glance at Salem and she was indeed sitting down and gesturing me to do the same.

Wow these chairs are more comfortable than they look. Wait, no brain think. Ignore the death cry of the legs. I have bluffed my way into this situations and isekai set up isn't doing me any favo-

THIS IS AN ISEKAI!

I might not be in a terrible situation after all. In isekais, the MC turns up near strong enemies and kills them by bullshit deus ex machina powers and gains even more bullshit deus ex machina powers. I did feel some weird round thing in the burlap of holding. So I reached in the bag as quickly as I could without seeming threating.

Where is it? Where is it?

Got it!

Alright, Black Void what do you have for me?

...

...

... It's a tea set. Uhhh... Crap where do I go from here?

"Would you like some tea?" That would be the logical statement to say after pulling out a tea set, yes? Black Void, is this because I took back my thanks? I gave it back you know. What are you doing to me?

Oh hey the tea set is floating.

Oh hey it's pouring us some tea.

I would be more shocked by this but imminent possible death kinda puts a damper on my shock.

"Young one, although you seem to know quite a bit about me already, I know nearly nothing about you. Could you give me your name?" Alright Galahad. Focus. We are still burning within the fire. Remember, be respectful and sprinkle some truth over your lies and I might still be alive after this.

"My name is Galahad Grimmsley."

"What is your purpose for revealing yourself so close to my home?" Uhh, be one of those people who knock on your door at five in the morning.

"I wish to have you join my faith. The Void Lord has taken note of your actions and sent me, Its Herald, to extend the offer." Salem's eyes narrowed. Oh crap, that's not good.

"And what would happen if I refuse this offer?" I don't have any strength to do anything against you and nothing in my arsenal can kill you in time nor can I threaten you. I can't do anything against you.

"Nothing." She blinked.

"Nothing?" My mouth is so dry. I am so glad my hands aren't sweating. Otherwise the tea might spill all over my hands.

"The Void Lord has taken a liking to you. Your actions are the embodiment of my faith. Your ruthlessness, your cunning, and your ambition far surpass even mine. In fact my lord wishes for me to join your ranks, if you rejected the offer, a decision I wholeheartedly agree with." I am only joining you so I can live. Please buy it, please, please, please.

"And just who is this Void Lord?" Say something believable.

"A being that transcends natural understanding. It can be referred to as the world, sometimes the universe, often as god, it is also the truth. The Void Lord is master of both creation as well as destruction. My master does not have traditional means of communication like human tongue, so much of his teachings are undecipherable even to me. Certain old books even claim the Void Lord predates even the Brothers Deity. Although I believe that might be false. Some others book claim that the Void Lord is the older brother of Darkness." I am so glad I am a anime nerd, otherwise my cult would not have any ground to exist.

"How can I be assured that you would not betray me?" Because I am not suicidal. I remember what you did to Lionheart. But, I can't use I'm not suicidal as a reason. Blood Oaths are a thing in anime right? Often they do nothing if broken, just empty promises.

"Only my word. However if you wish I can form a Blood Pact with you to insure my loyalty." Salem smiled, it was beyond creepy.

"Fufu. An unnecessary temptation. I believe your word to be true. That being said we should discuss your future at my side." I return the smile as best I can but it really hard to smile at her.

"Of course mistress Salem. I am aware the that your current objective is to obtain the Fall Maiden, Amber and you set Cinder to that task, is that right?" I need to know if I am before or after the start in canon. This could be very benefited for the main characters if this is before.

"That is indeed true. Although, I wonder how did you obtain this information even on of my trusted subordinates have failed to obtain a name, did your other master reveal this information to you already?"

"Indeed, it has. It decided I needed to be privy on vital matters. Although, it has not given me everything. Even now my connection to my master wanes and in time might be lost entirely."

Salem hummed.

"Has your master told you anything else about the Maiden?" God, I am so glad I read the RWBY wiki obsessively.

"She has light brown skin, brown hair, and a mole under her eye. She also dislikes efficient modes of transportation and instead rides horses along the countryside in a leisurely pace. Ozpin, like the fool he is, also refused to simply force her on a bullhead because and I am paraphrasing here 'because he values her freedom.'"

Salem made the sound of a dying cat.

"Is it safe to assume you wish to aid Cinder on her quest then?" What?! Why would I do that?!

"NO!" I freeze as she tensed. I just yelled at SALEM. My heart is nearly thumping itself of my chest. Calm down! Panicking will get you dead so calm down and do some FUCKING DAMAGE CONTROL.

"... I apologize for that outburst mistress. I will not assist Cinder on obtaining more power. If she wishes to be powerful then she can do it herself. In the circumstance that failure happens then she was simply not suited to be your Fall Maiden and she should be rid of." That's a good answer right. It must've been because she relaxed a little.

"It is forgiven. Then if you will not assist Cinder then what will you be doing then?" Oh thank god. Alright come on. I'm nearly out of the fire.

"You wish to deprive humanity of strength, so I shall be stripping them of their strength."

"And how will you do that?" I really am glad I'm from the real world. So many late nights on tvtropes allows for so many ways to earn favor from Salem.

"I shall poison their crops and deprive them of dust. A guardians loyalty to ones kingdom is well and good, but that loyalty is only as strong as long as the family of the guardian is well fed. People can understand if Grimm were to destroy the crops, but anger will be directed at them. Should the fault of crops failure be placed on the famers, then they shall turn on their friends they value so much just for the chance of food. In a nearby vein, dust shortages because some will be hoarding all the means to repel Grimm will allow the natural divisions in humanity to be more pronounced." It's not like I'm doing anything bad any way. Well, I am, but she probably is already doing it regardless. I mean, it would make sense considering how easily Vale fell. At least this is controlled evil.

Salem's face gained a smile much bigger and brighter than her last one. That was a good response brain, good job.

"This has been an enlightening chat. I shall call one of my subordinates back and have him lead you into any farmland you wish tomorrow. Is there anything you require to carry out your task?"

"Only money and massive amounts of salt."

"Consider it done. This has been such a interesting chat, Galahad Grimmsley." A tentacled Grimm entered through the doors and stayed near the entrance. "The Seer shall lead you to your quarters, we have much to do tomorrow."

I stood up and nodded. "Indeed we do mistress." With that I left the room after I bowed.

###

I followed the hentai Grimm for somewhere around five minutes and arrived at my room. I gave the thing a nod and a goodbye.

What? Just because it's a monster doesn't mean I shouldn't treat it as one or ignore it. Besides maybe I can get some Grimm to Rebel against her.

Oh wow. This room is quite bare. A bed and a window. I sat down on the bed, placed both my hands on my forehead and sighed.

...

...

...

I wanted to cry. I really did. But I couldn't work up the tears. Exhaustion was my best friend right now. I outwitted the devil and somehow got a job working under her. It beats death sure, but... these are people I will be stealing food from...

I can't go to sleep. I'm not sleepy. I stuck my hand into the burlap of holding to see if the Void gave me other things than a tea set. Other than my weapons, nothing was in the bag.

I stared at them for a while.

I picked up my sword and started to do practice swings.

What else could I do?


Sup fanfic consosuirs. Buckle up suckle down and tighten your belt cause imma gonna take ya on a journey.

Also for legal reasons:

DownSmashJon: I'm giving approval, so I better not see any bashing for "creative theft".

There. No one yell at me in the reviews. I got permission or yell at me anyway. Will this be continued? Probably.

Edit: I did some edit stuff to the Salem meet'n'greet so it flows a bit better. Also the Void Bit I edited.