(A/N: I apologize for missing the deadline for Christmas Specials, had a lot of stuff that occupied my attention.
Without further ado, onto the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Starbound, I only own this story, Poaling Mono, Iris Virtuas, and Erisa Mono (technically), as well as the backstory explaining the Game. RWBY belongs to Monty Oum (R.I.P.) of Rooster Teeth, Starbound belongs to Chucklefish.
On with the show!)
"External Speech"
'Internal Speech/Commands'
Gamer System/Devices
"Iris The Intern External Voice"
"Iris The Intern Internal Voice"
*Name*: Party Chat
Despite knowing that the Grimm above me was Poaling, I half-expected him to go for my jugular.
What I did NOT expect was for the Geist-Beowolf mix to start licking off the Grimm blood on my face.
"Wha-hey! That tickles!"
"No! Down boy! Heel!" I heard Poaling's voice a short ways to my left, though something about it seemed… calmer? Serene?
But more importantly, if Poaling was over there, then wouldn't this mean that the Grimm above me ISN'T Poaling?!
The Grimm stopped licking my face to turn towards the voice and give an annoyed glare. "I would prefer if you didn't talk to me as though I was a dog, you should know."
This Grimm… had just spoken in Poaling's voice… albeit in a somewhat lower and rougher octave than normal.
'What is going on?' I turned my head left to see where the first voice had come from.
Drifting towards us, floating about a meter-and-a-half above the ground, was a dense, almost gaseous sphere of silvery mist, about a quarter-meter in diameter and glowing a faint blue.
"Sorry about that, Iris!" The mist bobbed. "You might be confused about this."
I nodded. "Yes, are you in two places at once, or is one of you a Familiar he created that I missed?"
The Grimm chuckled before releasing my arms and backing away until he was right next to the mist. "Oh, we're both Poaling, alright!"
The mist bobbed, again. "Yes, I- WE have unlocked our Semblance. Or at least, the first level of it. I'm the half that is focused around 'Silver Soul' and HE-" The mist bobbed toward the Beo-Geist next to him. "-is the one focused around 'Void Heart' and 'Shadow Skelter.'"
I blinked. "... 'Shadow Skelter?' Is that anything like 'Blood Skelter' perchance?"
The Grimm-Poaling shrugged. "Depends! Does 'Blood Skelter' involve blood causing the user to become physically and magically stronger, as well as getting pumped up for battle?"
I sighed, my left arm supporting my right as I rubbed my eyes. "If by 'pumped up' you mean going nuts whilst bypassing the measures of Gamer's Mind whilst the Skelter is in effect, then yes."
The Grimm laughed. "Yeah, that's what I thought! Also, that reminds me! I'm still wound up from that battle with Fenrir, so I'm going to go slaughter more Grimm to practice controlling Shadow Skelter! See ya about an hour before sunrise!"
With that, Grimm-Poaling charged into the trees, howling with mischievous laughter all the way.
"BE MINDFUL OF THE CORRUPTION LEVEL!" Both me and mist-Poaling called after him.
I turned to the orb of mist, worry written all over my face. "Do you think he'll be okay? I didn't get the chance to get a close look at his full statistics."
The mist sighed. "Believe it or not, I actually almost feel kind of sorry for any Grimm unlucky enough to cross paths with him tonight! Besides, keep in mind that we just survived a battle against FENRIR, who had OVER ONE-MILLION HP."
I sighed, then nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I think that's enough for us tonight. We'll let him vent all that energy while we rest our minds for the night."
"Agreed."
Unique Halloween Event Complete: Grimm Future!
The Halloween Moon of Remnant has given the push needed to temporarily awaken something within!
For the duration of this Event, you will have a chance to practice with one of the traits of Void Heart as though it were one Level higher.
Due to the potential of Void Heart, your form will be forcibly altered for the duration of this Event.
Main Objective(s):
Survive in your new form to see morning light (at 7:30 AM) [✔️]
Bonus Objective(s):Learn to use your new form efficiently by killing at least 50 Grimm of any kind before the
morning light. (78/50) [✔️]
OR AND
Defeat a Grimm-type Boss before the morning light. [✔️]
Reward(s):
2000 EXP, 2000 Lien, Spirit Reward Package (Astral Projection Skillbook, Tiny Spirit Dust Crystal (w/ Synthesis Spell)
Bonus Reward(s):
3000 EXP, +1 Level to Void Heart,
Level Up! (*3)
Astral Projection (Active):
(Level: MAX) (Cost: None) You may send your perception away from your body, either within a spherical radius of 20 Meters from your Core/Body or a spherical radius of 10 Meters from any of your party members.
(Timeskip: 6:30 AM: Reclaimed Bullhead Cargo Bay, Landed in some random forest in Mistral)
You have gained 9000 EXP, 9000 Lien, 76 Beowolf Fur Scraps, 80 Beowolf Claws, 3 Beowolf Pelts, 16 Ursa Claws, 2 Ursa Fur Pelts, 2 Ursa Arm Fragments (3/30), and 2 Ursa Core Fragments (3/30).
LUC-ky Drop(s):
1 Tiny Rainbow Dust Crystal
Level Up! (*5)
Iris and I stared at my Void-Half, who simply grinned back as best he (I) could with the face of a Beowolf.
"H-how?" I was not expecting such a ridiculous outcome from letting him (me/myself) run free for an entire night.
"Turns out we had A LOT of frustration and such to vent, and I got a form with considerable raw physical might. The end result, I pretty much wiped out all the Grimm I could find before I decided to come back."
Silence filled the air for a moment.
"So~!" The Anti-Grimm(?) broke the silence. "Are we going to give Erisa the Dust Crystals right when she gets back, or should we wait a bit first? I ask because I get the feeling something big is going to happen when we do!"
…
"Maybe you should get back in a single body first? A golem hidden underneath armor is less conspicuous than a glowing mist and a hybrid Grimm."
(Timeskip: 12:30 PM: Random, Isolated Forest Clearing)
I was back in my usual Golem Body as a single consciousness (as far as I could tell), having picked up Erisa from Patch a few hours ago and explaining recent events to her as we piloted our Bullhead to someplace far away from any potential observers.
"So Erisa," I began, the aforementioned girl looking up at me with intrigue from her seat on a stump. "You remember how a while back you asked about Dust?"
That word sparked a hint of excitement in her eyes. "Yes, why?"
I retrieved two tiny crystals - each no bigger than a marble - from my Inventory and held each between forefinger and thumb. One continuously shifted between various colors of the spectrum, the other remained purple but 'pulsed' to a lighter shade every few seconds like a heartbeat.
"Well, I got you two special Dust Crystals - a Rainbow Dust Crystal and a Spirit Dust Crystal!" I held them out to the starry-eyed girl, who beamed and cupped her hands.
I carefully placed the two crystals in her cupped hands, where she peered over them with wide eyes for a few seconds.
And then she opened her mouth and popped both Dust Crystals in, swallowing.
I stared, not sure how or if I should react to the unexpected action.
Then, I noticed something in her eyes. Like a furnace of sorts had been reignited after sitting cold for so long.
"I… I can feel the voice of the world again…" She spoke in a hushed voice.
"I can feel the… the very Aura of Remnant itself!" That glow in her eyes gradually grew in intensity.
"The firm earth, playful wind, serene water, blazing fire, and all in between…"
Suddenly, magenta flames burst from her eyes, blazing brightly.
"And…" Erisa blinked, the flames vanishing, before she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. "It's thanks to you that I was able to hear their voices again!"
Erisa pulled back to give me a warm smile, tears of joy beginning to drip down her cheeks. "Thank you, for everything, Poaling!"
Quest Complete!: Dust Girl
Main Objective(s):
Bring Erisa a Rainbow Dust Crystal [✔️]
Bonus Objective(s):
Bring Erisa a Spirit Dust Crystal [✔️]
Reward(s):
+5000 EXP, Erisa has received the (Core)-Title "Dust Maiden"
Bonus Reward(s):
+5000 EXP, Erisa has unlocked her Semblance "Aural Bond"
Level Up! (*4)
Dust Maiden (Title):
"You can feel the world like no other, and can call upon its forces better than any one Maiden."
+500% MP (Added before Modifiers)
+500% MPR (Added before Modifiers)
+The Skill "Elemental Control" is now unlocked and integrated into the Title.
+Elemental Spells are 5X more powerful without any additional cost.
+The Skill "Dust Creation" is now unlocked and integrated into the Title.
+Can recover HP, AP, and MP by consuming Dust.
Aural Bond (Semblance):
(Level: 1: 0.0%) (Cost: Dependant) The bonds you develop with others are precious to you, and now manifest as a bridge between yourself and those close to you - the people you trust.
-AP may now be interchanged between yourself and anyone you've developed a strong bond with.
Existing Bonds:
Poaling Mono (Brother; 100%, Unlimited Range)
Iris Virtuas (Dream Sister-Candidate; 100%, Unlimited Range)
Ruby Rose (Best Friend; 80%, Max Range of 80 km)
(Timeskip: 15 Days later, 3:40 PM)
(Location: Reliquiae Terra, Traveling in Upper Orbit above Remnant)
(POV: Poaling Mono)
As my bare Core, I hovered above the recently completed chamber that I intended to use to get a living body of my own. In that moment, I was in a minor debate with the girls.
"You two are SURE you'll be alright with me out of commission for a while?"
Iris sighed, shaking her head in exasperation, but she still wore a smile on her face. "For the literal thirty-seventh time: YES. You're going to be in there for less THAN A DAY, and we're currently in high orbit - this is probably as safe as it gets here! Now just get in the chamber already before I pull rank on you!"
Erisa nodded, blinked, then turned to look at Iris. "Sometimes I forget that you're an 'Admin.'"
I sighed. "Alright, I guess I HAVE been putting it off for a while. Just… please don't let me wake up to find that the two people closest to me in this world are gone…"
With that, I received one last group hug, then entered the translucent cylindrical machine.
Suspending Active Cognitive Functions for the duration of the Procedure…
Expected Time to Completion: 14 Hours, 20 Minutes
Sweet Dreams!
(Timeskip: 14 Hours, 20 Minutes later, 6:00 PM)
Your Party Member "Erisa Mono" is Under Attack!
(A/N: DUNDUNDUN! You all waited for so long, and you get a cliffhanger!
Thanks for your patience - I've had to take my college classes more seriously, can't spend as much time writing stories as I used to.
Anyways, I realized that, yeah, this story was starting to just be in the RWBY category as a formality, so now I went and made it more relevant again! Besides, I suppose this might be fulfilling the Law of Equivalent Exchange? I mean, Mono intervened with Amber before the attack even happened to her, so I guess the sights switched to Erisa the moment she fulfilled the conditions?
(Before you ask, The other parties discovered our newest Maiden because she'd been practicing with her new powers while Mono worked on the machine that would give him a human(? *WINK!*) body.)
In fact, here it is in an Omake!
Omake: A New Power at Play
(POV: Third Person)
Erisa Mono, the newest Maiden of Remnant, hummed as she practiced the use of her new powers in an empty, dry box canyon (A/N: Basically, picture Blood Gulch from Red vs Blue, Season 1, only without Red Base and Blue Base). That is to say, as she tried to remain calm and not cause too big of an effect with her powers.
Now, after practicing for four days, she felt ready to begin practicing for using her power for combat.
She called upon the wind to lift her upwards as she looked down at several felled, dead trees.
She willed the wind to toss one of the logs in an arc, then launched a ball of magenta fire towards the wood. Before it could even hit the ground, the log practically disintegrated into ashes that scattered over the dirt.
Erisa blinked. Maybe she would be better off focusing on defence instead of offence?
Inhaling, the Maiden condensed the as elemental energies into the ground around her with an intent. That intent, in a single word, was 'ice.' Bright purple walls of ice erupted from the ground around her, forming a thick, protective dome that would have hidden her from view if the ice itself wasn't so conspicuous to begin with.
Sublimating the ice back into vapor, she noticed a Nevermore, about as big as her it looked, circling above her, observing her with its eyes from above.
She destroyed it with a beam of pure energy, the kind she was already accustomed to using for years.
Two previously-unnoticed black birds - a crow and a raven on opposite sides of the canyon - squacked and flew off at the show of power.
In her domain, the human-turned Grimm-Queen known only as Salem found herself intrigued at the new level of power this new Maiden showed.
"Cinder, it seems that you will be my Maiden, after all…"
After he'd made sure he was out of earshot, the crow shifted into the form of none other than Qrow Brawnwen himself. He uncapped his flask, chugged half the contents in one go (he felt he needed it after what he'd just seen), then pulled out his scroll.
"Hey, Oz? You know that girl that you saw with Autumn a while back, the one with pink hair that you suspected might be one?" He sighed. "Well, I just found her, but her power is… like something more altogether…"
(A/N: Annnnd now to get things moving along much more quickly than before! I hope to jump to Dust-till-Dawn in a couple of chapters! I've got interesting plans in store for the former 'canon' arc!
See you in the Game(s)!
-poaling12
