Here's another chapter of The Grimm That Could!
AK632612 - I have certain idea's for a Human/Faunus form in the works but I'd like to do it in a much more original way then of other fics I've read. But if it does come then it will likely not come till much later down the road.
merendinoemiliano - Thanks, I'm currently running some ideas through that may be relevent to your statement but we'll have to wait and see. :)
bimboom - Thanks for the review. :3
DefenseSquadofDefenseSquad - Thanks for all the positives in your review, means a lot to me personally. Also I'd like to make it apparent now that my Grimm will NOT be going to Beacon anyway, mainly because I see no possible way at the moment to write that out well enough for it to be posted but also because I want to deviate a little. Well, a LOT more really. I'd like to explore other possibilities and ideas within this little fic of mine without the need to write out several important and unimportant members of the cast along the way, that's just how I see it.
hzchb11 - Thanks for the interest!
ThatGuyWhoUsualyCouldCareLess - Sorry that you feel that way. I am my own proofreader after all, and i'm not really sure whether anyone even would care to proofread something like mine at the current moment. I'll keep doing my best to sort through errors and mishaps but just now, I ain't perfect with it.
Mr Beaver Buttington - We'll just have to wait and see now, wont we?
Now, on with the show!
I woke up to the sounds of rainfall.
And the feeling of it too. Apparently.
I groaned and got up off my back, with the distinct notion that I was likely still dead to the world around me and that I am wandering a beautiful, green wasteland of nature and bliss. Ugh. What kind of nightmare is this? And why do I feel so... heavy?
[You have slept for over 48 hours! You are now well-rested and ready to take on the day! +5% Experience Gain for the of the day!]
...
Well rested? This feeling is what you call well rested?
What a joke. My fur's wet, I'm freezing cold in this weather and... wait a minute. I slept for forty eight hours? Two whole days?
Wow. This system really is messing with everything I know and love, even my beauty sleep!
I shakily got back up on all fours and started to inspect the changes towards my body. It's hard to tell whether my eyesight has improved under the cover of rainfall but they feel a little larger then they were before, so at least there was some improvement in that regard? The more immediate improvements were made apparent almost immediately as I got myself stable on the ground. First off was my Bone Plating, a multitude of new, longer, much sharper bone spikes had sprouted out of my shoulders, legs and chest, as well as a much more obvious, almost uniform row of bone spikes scorned across the centre of my back, all lined perfectly across with the occasional deviation of size and length between specific, individual ones, with the inklings of a few more additional rows being centred on the right and left hand sides as well.
The next easily apparent change to my body came in the form of fur. Wet, damp, mangy fur that stuck out in every which way possible. Jeez, thanks system for not warning me about spending all that Biomass!
[Well now you know the effects that Biomass can have on a living being if done all at once!]
...
Ok well. Never-mind that. Let's inspect my fur a little more carefully now, shall we?
I noted that underneath all the mud and muck, that I had now developed two separate coats of fur, the bottom layer felt a lot more smoother, softer and a lot more clean then the layer above it. I questioned the system a little at this, what use does a bottom layer of fur even do for me? Doesn't it just keep me warm which, whilst admittedly, does help in weather like this, shouldn't it give me some sort of defense or vitality improvement? I did have to kill several of my own kind to get this supposed upgrade so I'd like to think it was worth it in the end. I shake my head and move on to the much more obvious sight, the new top layer of fur which had developed whilst I was... predisposed lets say? This top layer was much thicker than the one underneath, and with the combination of it looking wild underneath the rainy skies, I supposed I look bigger and wilder in a way that wasn't unlike an adult Beowolf that had gone wild under the influence of constant negative emotion and by extension, feeding off from its own, homemade bloodlust. It felt, leathery for some odd reason? The other big change that I took onboard is the introduction of bone, mixing in with my fur in an almost intricate and otherworldly manner, weaving its way between the two layers to form an incomplete, natural armor to the outside elements of the world. The only evidence of which it was showing were the slight, minute bone spikes that were piercing through my fur, of which only the tips were visible, it obviously held no competition towards my much more developed bone excursions that laid across the entirety of my body. It was almost like it didn't want to be seen to the naked eyes of any other animal, to be hidden in-between the intricacies of my fur until someone dared to stake their claim on my hide.
Was this due to me investing a multitude of Biomass into my Bone Plating and my Hide? Were these two combining in a way that I couldn't yet foresee? How far would the changes towards my body go if my combination theory was true?
[For trying to further understand the inner workings of the Biomass system and by extension, theorising the future combinations that you may experience along the way, you have gained 3 additional INT and WIS!]
This is cheating. This cannot be labelled anything other then the purest of cheats the world has to offer.
At least now I knew what was the cause of my new founded weight. Although, I very much doubted that this made me look bigger in any capacity, it at least gave me the semblance of looking like a much wilder, older type of Beowolf. Not as thick and as dense as an alpha's would be I imagine, but one that appeared like I belonged to one of the adults of the pack, a very wild, messy, dirtier looking kind of adult Beowolf.
Just how I always wanted it!
Now that I've gotten back on my paws and took a retrospective look at my current physical upgrades, I started to think back on the point I made before in regards to Biomass. What other kinds of upgrades could this lead to in the future? Were their paths separate or combined if a being were to input their Biomass into different regions of their body entirely to how I did it? Would I become a new breed of Grimm? Would I even be a Grimm by the end of this? Are there any points to asking repeated questions to no one, as I act like i'm seriously going stir crazy within the depths of the forest around me?
[It is good food for thought though, well, as much thought as you can manage at the current moment. Keep going with it! +1 to INT!]
Thanks yet again to my omniscient and omnibenevolent overlord, I shall raise a deer corpse in respects to thee.
[Fishing for additional stat points are we?]
... No?
[Liar.]
I feel like you're starting to dislike me, little blue box.
...
...
...
No response? Never-mind then.
The skies were clearing now, the rain that had battered the landscape around me (and on me!) had been brought down to a light drizzle, the sun was making its way into view from beyond the cloudy skies and light was slowly making its way down from the skies above, it was truly a joyous sight to behold.
Alright, I had my fun and now it was finally time to focus on the one thing I hated the most. Stealth training.
After five days of nothing but straight stealth training, I managed to get my stealth skill to level twenty-five. Now let me tell you just how boring those days were, do you know that it is actually possible for a Grimm to get a headache? A real, bone-tearing, head-splitting, absolutely monstrous kind of headache? Not me! And I was still feeling the effects of it nearly two days later! Never-mind this stealth training being some of the most boring moments of my whole entire, miserable life. Spending every hour, every minute, every possible second staring at various types of Grimm and other types of wildlife was agonising to say the least, and since we Grimm don't have much in the way of sleep itself as a concept, that meant I literally stayed up through the night and day, staring at every which type of animal that had the unfortunate and uncomfortable existence of being stared at constantly for multiple hours by me. But hey, at least the skill now had some nice additional effects on it after being leveled up so much.
[Stealth Lv25 (Passive/Active) EXP: 0.0%: This is your ability to move undetected and silent, also covering the ability to which you may commit actions unobserved, unseen or even unheard of in the first place.
Passively decreases the chance of being detected or heard by 15%.
Actively decreases the chance of being detected or heard by 40%. However any other being with a higher level of stealth will either decrease the percentage chance or fully nullify it.
Lv25 bonus: As night falls AND as one hides in total darkness, the stealth effect becomes 30% stronger.
Costs: 35% reduced movement speed when active.]
It was a very useful bonus as well, since the Grimm were usually more active come nightfall, the use of the bonus quickly made itself apparent as Grimm, only a couple inches away, could never detect where I was. Even as I poked them with my claw when I was actively using my stealth skill, they would know that something was wrong somewhere as they turned around and surveyed the area, looking for me.
It was funny seeing other Beowolves and Boarbatusks look wildly confused.
Thankfully, with the amount of prowling and wandering that I did around the forest, I also gained a lot more levels in "Observe" and "Intimidate" along with some stat points. Mostly Vitality and Dexterity which were desperately needed as far as I was concerned, but somehow I also gained a few additional points into Intelligence, Wisdom and even Strength along the way, mostly due to more deep thinking and theorisation in my spare time when I was bored out of my mind.
Those were boring days. Until I came across something as I was following another Beowolf using my stealth skills, it went into a relatively large sized cave entrance. I was expecting to see a multitude of Grimm encircling and crowding themselves within the cave for any reason, but I found nothing. Literally nothing. The Beowolf had completely disappeared within the deep, dark pathways of the cave, where the light of the outside sun didn't dare shine, a faint line of blue stretched across the rocks of the cave, illuminating it slightly, like veins were running through the rocks themselves. Some thicker, some slender, some so slender that they couldn't be seen, splitting and reforming themselves endlessly into random patterns.
Every couple minutes, a pulse of bright blue would flow through the lines, brightening the entire cave entrance momentarily as it flashes through sporadically. It feels eerily as if the cave itself were alive but for some reason, the light feels welcoming to my senses, almost comforting to some extent.
Let's go deeper!
Illuminated by the glow of the cave, I can now see how my fur has begun to harden and shine slightly within the dim lights, as bone hid itself cleverly within the threads and stretches of my fur, marking it further for future change. I looked a lot more menacing within the dim lights of the cave and with that, I now developed a new appreciation for the changes that I've experienced.
I looked towards the last area of which I saw the Beowolf enter and it was dark, and I mean seriously dark as well, if not for the faint glow of blue veins running through the surrounding rocks, I seriously doubted that I would have been able to see anything within the depths of wherever this ended.
And with that, I went further.
Hours and hours of cautious movement were all I knew for the time I was travelling further into the cave, all I knew was that I was going deeper, much, much deeper then I ever thought a cave system like this could ever reach to. The caves back with my own pack were so much more dull! Through it all, I developed a new skill from the fluttering vibrations of movement surrounding me and from listening intently to them to judge their distance from my current place, named "Echolocation", this skill enabled me to see... kinda? It was weird to explain, in which any noise I made had lifted the surrounding area into a picture of different coloured outlines and distances that were very hard to judge competently at first. With me constantly running snout first into rock formations and blocked pathways, it had made me as a result, very keen on wherever I was heading towards and within a couple hours? Much more capable of judging distances and areas using the sight skill then I was doing before, I used that skill so much that the constant *ding!* notification that it was making as it leveled up became nothing but background noise to me as I dug deeper and investigated just how deep the cave system went.
After several hours of random noises, dim blue illumination and constant blocked off pathways and dead ends, I followed the tunnel around a tight curve and before me the cave walls fall away into a tremendous cavern.
This is huge! You could fit thousands and thousands of Grimm in here, surely?
[New Quest Obtained!]
Something strange is attracting the Grimm in the Forest to this location in particular. Find out what exactly is causing this anomaly and deal with it.
Time limit: 7 Days
Success: 10000XP, 2000 Lien, 10 Biomass, 10 Skill Points, Information, Possible ?, Improved Relations With: ?
Failure: Reduction in Level, Loss of Recent Skills, Death? Reduced Relations With: ?
I was already crawling my way down the path before I knew it.
I don't even care that one of the possible failure conditions is death, for all that XP, Biomass and Skill Points, I would gladly find out whatever the fuck was going down within the depths of this cavern for those kinds of rewards.
...
As I made my way deeper into the depths of the cavern, growls, hisses, roars and the click-clacks of claws colliding echoed off the walls in the cavern. This constant onslaught of noise and vibrations within the cavern battered my mind, dizzying me. This cavern was absolutely swarming with Grimm, from Imps to Beowolves to Nevermore and even some Alpha Beowolves were fighting and moving through what appeared to be a thoroughfare in this part of the cave network.
As quickly as I could, I dart into the darker sections of the cavern, moving towards the dark shelters of differing stalactites and rock formations that gave me the increased cover of darkness within the cavern, allowing my stealth skill to take full effect of its levelled advantages. Flattening myself as much as I can between the natural formations of the cavern network, I remain still, and cast my eyes around to further observe.
The strange blue lines I'd seen pulsing in the walls of the outside cave network were here as well, twisting, turning and branching throughout every possible surface it could, even winding down the pillars of pointed rock that had breached their way through from the ceiling and floor simultaneously, illuminating the whole area with the same soft blue light.
Nearby, in the centre of the caverns whole network system, a massive basin of water, perhaps fifty meters across, had formed in the floor of the cavern. Peering more closely at it, I could see that it was being fed by a steady drip of water from cracks within the inner workings of the ceiling, possibly from a river that was located above ground? The water seems to be suffused with that same blue glow that I had been shown towards all around me in the cavern, illuminated from beneath by veins of dim lights that laid across the basin floor.
What had the majority of my attention however was the menagerie of Grimm of all kinds congregating around the pool and surrounding it. The details of each type are still hard to make out thanks to my crappy vision, but hanks to the Grimm below for being so stylishly lit from below as they simply looked into the pond, not drinking, not interacting with it, simply staring at it like it was the most beautiful hunt in the world, I don't think I would have been able to see as much as I can without that previous Biomass upgrade towards my eyes so... good thinking on my part for predicting such a situation!
[You still aren't getting anymore free stat points out of me. No matter how much you flatter yourself or me.]
Oh come on! I thought that would have been enough.
Never mind that grumpy old thing, let's investigate further, shall we?
First, let's address the two closest to me. They appear to be Beringels, massive hulking behemoths with black skin and bone like plates that most other Grimm use as well. Differing patterns were displayed on both of their backs, with one showcasing a symbol resembling an eye on their back and one utilising a weird pattern of red and black that had such deep sophistication that it must have been part of a major clan or pack during its whereabouts. One had burnt skin, which was very obvious when comparing the two of them, whilst also displaying an internal red, almost peaceful glow, visible from within where the skin was at its thinnest. That isn't to say it wasn't intimidating though, very much the opposite in my case. I could feel their raw strength just from being around them, never-mind actually trying to fight them! I had placed a lot of trust with my own strengths and my intelligence but taking on something like this? Especially so early? No chance.
Next to them I can make out another few Beowolves, some deciding to lean forward, putting weight on their hind legs and staring longingly into the deep pool before it, others simply deciding to sit themselves down next to the edges of the basin and stare off into the cracks of the ceiling, their masks and presence dulled in the dim blue glow of the surrounding area. Imps, a tall and imposing being that resembled the Humans or "Dustlings" as the leaders of my pack once communicated to us with, standing several feet taller then most surrounding the basin, it showcased very little in the way of protection other then its pectoral-like bone plates on its chest, the rib-like protrusions that were located on its humanoid torso, as well as a large series of bone spikes that lay across the upper spine of its back. The mask it wore was something eerie, even to a Grimm like me, it didn't sit right with me to keep looking at the features of its face more-so then I already was. The eye sockets were elongated and sloped downwards from its face, and the top of the bone plate connected with two long, curved horns that made it look even more imposing then it already was.
As well as that, Alpha Beowolves were located around the far back end of the basin, all other Grimm types were steering clear from them and I could respect that, even with my own upgrades and advantages, the instinctive fears that I had developed over the years from my own pack leader were still very much present within me, forcing me to look away from their deep, red eyes as they surveyed the basin, as well as the surrounding Grimm that encircled the basin as well.
Now that I think about it though, there seems to be no conflict around the water pool at all. Which was very unusual for it considering the literal tens of hundreds of Grimm that were surrounding the pool by themselves. Now see, usually Grimm would never hunt another Grimm unless it was some sort of territory or pack dispute but so many Grimm? Packed into a space as large and as spacious as this? It should have already developed into a total and utter bloodbath and yet, it was like they all had established some unspoken truce here at the water source?
Something was definitely up.
Very slowly, I approach the pool, one leg moving at a time, keeping my body as flat to the floor as possible to make myself indistinguishable from the literal ocean of Grimm that I was currently sifting through at this point in time. Progress is so slow! If I could sweat at this point then water would be running off of me so fast that there would be a whole second water basin in this cavern! I crawl carefully over every rock, every crack in the floor, every puddle of water that I stepped over, making myself as inconspicuous as possible as I sweep oh so slowly through the tide.
[Stealth has reached level 26!]
Now that's what I like to hear!
But now I actually realise, this is a huge opportunity! I can hide here in the darkness of the caverns passageways and continuously observe the Grimm, moving very slightly the whole time, which will allow me to gain precious information whilst training my stealth. And isn't that what this entire process was about in the beginning anyway?
Okay, settle down. The worst thing I can do is lose my cool.
I take a few slow, deep breaths to calm myself before I continue my approach. I don't know how these various types of Grimm would interact with me if I were to disturb the peace within the cavern. Let's use observe to look at the Alphas, to gage just how dangerous they are to me currently.
Alpha Beowolf
HP: 1100/1100
[Regular Grimm]
Lv 30
Level 30!?
That thing was near double the level that I was currently at!
Actually wait, let's bring up my Status to see where exactly I am.
Name: ?
Class: The Gamer
Race: Grimm (Soul)
Level: 17(Next Level: 3210/5000) (+5% Experience Gain!)
Title: Novice Grimm Slayer
Bounty: 0 Lien
HP:736
MP:213
STR:48.1[Base 37 + 11.1(30%)]
VIT:27.3[Base 21 + 6.3(30%)]
DEX: 19.5 [Base 15 + 4.5(30%)]
INT: 32.5[Base 25 + 7.5(30%)]
WIS: 14.3[Base11 + 3.3(30%)]
LUK: 16
Elemental Affinity: None
Skill Points:25
Biomass: 0
Lien:100
Status Affects: None
Level 17? Yeah, I wasn't gonna go near several feet of one of those alphas like this.
But imagine the XP gain I could get from hunting one of those...
I could feel myself involuntarily twitching from the idea, just how much XP would I gain? Would I receive double-digit level increases? Would the amount of Biomass I get be increased too?
Oh wait. The Quest. Yes, that thing.
I finally got to the edge of the pool, leaning over and looking on the interior of its walls, I noticed several things that were strange about it. First was the blue growing crystal formations that were laid all across the edges of the pool, I observed them to see what exactly they were.
Ice Dust Crystals (Raw)
Potency: 50% (Marked down by 50% due to it being unrefined)
Crafting Material
Ah. I should get a few of them after I finish this quest, or maybe all of them, who knows?
I'll take what I can get.
I looked deeper into the pond, something else seemed to lure me in, something... strange.
It was at the bottom of the basin but with how clear the water was, I could see relatively clearly on what it actually was.
It was a black round shape, with large, streaking lines of scarlet red running through it and weaving intricate patterns into it, it was juxtaposed with the inclusion of the brighter, golden, shining substance that made itself the centerpiece of it all, shown in the centre of the shape.
As I tried to look closer at the object, I fell in.
As expected at this point.
But it was also at this point that I realised something, something that I likely should have realised as I was peering into the bottom of the basin.
I can't swim!
I was flailing my arms around, trying desperately to claw myself out of the water around me, at least I was until the Grimm that were originally staring off into the distance were now looking at me, moving towards the edges, making sure I stayed within the basin.
I was seriously going to drown here! Here of all places!
As I desperately climbed onto any leverage I could, the surrounding Grimm made it impossible for me to do so, knocking me down and forcing me back into the basin, and it was then that I too realised.
You remember that black shape that was sitting nicely in the centre of the basin? Yeah, it was now moving towards me.
Moving too fast!
I tried my best, I hung onto the edges and did my best to escape the now rapidly escalating situation at hand, but it was clear, I wouldn't be able to fight off whatever that black and red shape was if it decided to fight, I was already barely holding onto my own life, staying above water as best I could!
I felt my senses dim, and my eyes getting even more dimmer. And as I tried to inhale the last vestiges of air, the stress finally got to me, and my body gave up with me.
As the shape literally disappeared into me, the last thing I saw as I passed out were two, simple, specific sentences.
[You have now gained 1 Evolution Core!]
[HP rapidly decreasing, initialising relevant Evolution Core!]
Fuck.
Bit of a different chapter I know, just hope you lot like where its going.
Last chapter blew up like crazy for some reason. I literally have no idea what happened for me to get so many favs and followers all in one night but my god, thanks for all the crazy support you've been giving this fic. I hope to impress as I continue and to not let any of you down :)
I hope this chapter goes down well too, I would have gotten this out yesterday but I had to rewrite certain points so it got pushed back till today.
Still, hope you like it and as always,
Critiques and Reviews are always accepted.