Reviews:
merendinoemiliano - Thank you!
Vinnypaul - Thanks for continuing to read!
Pravus666 - Thanks for your kind words! I hope it'll continue to be of said quality as I expand this story out into the wider world of remnant and get to all the fun parts. Like the ones you're pointing out! Hopefully soon.
HelpingHand - I would do the same tbh.
Nearly got this out by the week after but you all know i'm a lazy cunt so it's out today instead. Still, hope you like it!
On with it.
The funny thing about running for your life is the fact that it snaps everything into perspective. Everything is clear, and your tiny brain is working overtime as your body works to keep your sorry self alive. I found myself in this predicament as I ran through the dark forest around me. Hopelessly lost in the surrounding fog.
There has to be some sort of irony surrounding a Grimm, an alpha nonetheless, chucking everything to the wind and running as fast they can in the other direction. What kind of Grimm could house such fear in their hearts? What kind of thing would make a being of darkness run for the hills with its tail between its legs?
I gulped down great lungfuls of air as I sprinted through the trees. The elements covering my escape as the sounds of wood shattering and trees falling echoed behind me as something chased me down ferociously. Branches scratched and flicked at my face as I tore by them. I didn't really have time to slow down and smell the flowers; I had to escape!
Behind me, the Darkness roared in clear anger, enraged that its prey was on the run. It reverberated and bounced between the trees as it plowed through them as if they weren't even there. It wanted me and it was very clear that it wasn't leaving without me in its maw.
"You cannot run from me, Ra-an!" The painfully loud shriek caused me to wince, lungs burning up as I ran for all I had. I never faltered, however, and continued my all-out sprint for freedom. Around me, bits of wood and plant life were ripped from where they were and flew to the void as the impending darkness drew nearer. To my right, a tree was toppled, nearly taking me out with it. I yelped frightfully and put on an extra burst of speed.
A light at the end of the road was sighted ahead, and I angled myself towards it. The trees grew continuously inwards, their roots digging deeper into the woods around me as they closed in on me, trying to trap me from what was ahead. It did little good as I broke through the scratching branches and burst forth into the open air. Behind me, the Void let out a earsplitting cry that echoed for miles around.
The clearing was small, surrounded by the overbearingly large trees on all sides. I was trapped. Rain was pooling underneath me, creating an almost swamp like arena as the ground soaked it all up, making my movements all the more unreliable. The trees continued to grow and to grow. Their branches intersecting and twisting around each other as the main bodies continued to grow larger, to grow even more deformed as every second passed. Their trunks twisting into sickening grins and smiles as they continued to grow a web like structure above me. Through the gaps I could see the night sky. The stars sparkled down upon me, laughing at my imprisonment.
The ground was murky, I couldn't see the lower half of my legs anymore as the swamp swallowed it all. The Void screeched again and I spun around, claws and fangs at the ready for the inevitable attack. An attack which never came at all. The impending darkness stayed in the forest , glaring out at me from behind the trees with its glowing eyes of pure silver. I couldn't quite make out what it was saying, but it was a truly massive thing. It glowered down at me, gnashing its hidden teeth in anger.
"You can't hide from me, Ra-an," it growled, the ground beneath me shaking and rumbling with each word. "I...see...you!"
What did it want from me?! I opened my mouth to respond, but all that flowed forth was a darkening mist of pure ebony, obscuring my vision entirely, contributing nothing but adding to the ongoing darkness surrounding me. I had hoped it would have read what I was about to say. It was safe to say that it didn't, or that it was never looking for my confirmation in the first place. It said nothing, lurking behind the myriad of trees, its eyes just barely visible in the gathering gloom of the woods. I swallowed, breathing heavily as I crouched down lower, squinting into the openings between the trees.
The unbearable silence of the clearing was cut short with the sound of snapping twig. I snapped my head around, hunching down even further into myself. Instead, I felt something crash right in front of me. My body froze and my eyes widened.
Standing in the center of the clearing was something truly gigantic. A pitch black... Grimm? It must have been twelve or more metres tall, built like a mountain and situated with an insurmountable amount of lengths all across its body. From the large wings adorned across its back to the quill-like spikes shooting out from all around, lighting up the forest as the moonlight shined across. It had three heads, the face of a human being on one, the face of a Sabyr on the other and the face of an Apathy on the last.
It stared at me, using a hand to write something on the ground. Something I didn't understand. It then stayed in its hunched position, using its off hand to draw near. I stood completely still as it drew nearer to me. A simple flick would be enough to kill me. It could grab me and crush me beneath its palms. Running a finger over my back, a deep, bone-chilling laugh resounded from the thing as it traced its fingers over my body. It stopped somewhere around my horns, it's eyes widening.
Shooting itself back up to its fullest height. It headed off toward the far end of the clearing. Glancing back at me, it produced a sickening smile, one with too much teeth. It beckoned to me. It's intent was clear.
As I began to follow the creature back into the dark forest, I happened to glance back behind me, still shaking slightly from the surprise encounter. Across the clearing, the Void remained still, silent, unmoving yet beyond the treeline. It gazed across the empty space at me and the horse, its white eyes flaring with a blinding, scalding light.
As I disappeared into the undergrowth with the giant, I heard a voice carried upon the wind.
"Only you can help them... Qahnaarin."
It was an absolutely sweltering summer day when I abruptly woke up. I don't think Titan got a lick of sleep the night before anyway, with him meandering around with a glaze over his eyes. I wasn't sure that a Grimm could even manage to look like they have bags under their eyes but Titan proved me wrong yet again.
Then again, I never knew a Grimm could dream either. Or have bad dreams. There had to be some sort of irony involved with that.
But it was this type of weather that made even the strongest of the strong doubt their own abilities. The rainstorm before had made it surprisingly humid in this heat, and it made the both of us feel like we were walking underwater, constantly and rabidly looking for shade as a way to cool ourselves down without constant breathing. Humans can sweat. The Grimm cannot. It was this sort of weather that was both a blessing and a curse for us.
If not for the surprising introduction of the sun after so long, my body seemed to have yet again, changed drastically from the effects I was choosing before.
In-between where my legs met my torso, a cage of bone was created. Streaks and pillars of bone were crossed vertically and equally spaced around the new section of my body, making what was inside visible to the wider world, but only something substantially small could actually run amok and get between the streaks of pale white bone.
What actually had made its way inside was what I assumed my new dust core was? It was an orb, similar to the evolution one that I had seen just a night ago. It was a dark maroon in colour and had no outward markings on it, it was bare in all but colour and size. It didn't sit in the centre of the makeshift cage, it hovered. It levitated right in the centre, unmoving to any outside stimuli. Stubborn thing.
This is just one of more other, obvious changes to my body. I remember choosing the "Advanced" Bone plates for myself the other day as the next set of upgrades, and it showed itself loud and clear for all to see. The plates that were already there were stretched, layered and then segmented equally all across my body into an equally built makeshift armour, making sure that any places on my body that were bare or "naked" to any enemies were now the total opposite. The most convoluted and weirdly shaped of them all being put all across my head. It was a brand new, sized up piece of armor just for me!
This combined well with the "Shadow" Hide option I picked too, which I never expected in all honesty. It didn't really give anything much on the outside, it just made my coat a lot... Darker in its tone? It's hard to describe what exactly it did from a colour standpoint other then the obvious. But what it also did was layer itself over the plates my body had created, hiding itself away. I think this is meant to help with the stealthy aspect of things?
But lets just be honest here. I'm a truly massive Grimm out here, one with a literal floating red orb in the middle of it. I'm honestly surprised that the humans haven't come out, weapons and vitriol in hand to cut me to pieces!
Then there were the other simpler, obscurer changes to me demeanor. The space that was fitting the slot for my third eye has shifted and expanded somewhat, as well as already improving my vision for the eyes I have already. The horns I have have slimmed again and expanded. How big are they gonna get? We sure that this isn't gonna become a problem soon?
The last of which being my fangs and claws, both equally expanding and sharpening themselves throughout the night as I was passed out. I was grateful for these smaller upgrades, they're not as flashy as something like a brand new coat or anything, but it's these things that'll help in the long run.
I think.
[+1 INT!]
Another day...
Another notification soon slammed itself in-front of my maw:
[Since you have evolved, you have gained new abilities in regards to "Overlord". Would you like to try them out?]
Yes I would!
The instant I thought about it, it happened. Pools of what looked like blackened tar were produced right in front of me, swishing and moving around constantly until a singular Grimm finally pulled through. It dragged its claws on the dirt, trying its best to catch some leverage in exchange for leaving that forsaken pool. It found it. Pulling itself forward, a Beowolf showed itself through from the tar, shaking itself off from all the muck and... Liquid? That seemed to have covered it.
This was only one pool though however. A truly numerous amount had spawned in a circle around me, all doing the exact same thing.
Producing Beowolves.
After several minutes, the final ones had crawled their way out of the darkened pools and they disappeared from existence. Draining themselves until it only left equally spaced pits in the ground around us. Leaving only their benefactors in front of me. And beside me. And behind me.
Why were there so many?!
And even more worrying... Why are they are all just staring at me?
Not moving. Not blinking. They're just there, looking at me. Even Titan is swerving his head around each and every one, trying to figure out if they're friend or foe. A smell of ash resonates throughout the air.
My horns are itching at the base. It's a nightmare but... I can't just look away!
Something else began to form however...
A black, misty slither of something was trying to conjoin and link itself between multiple Beowolves, dotting itself up and interlinking with one another in a criss-cross that I couldn't deduce. It soon shot out, latching itself to the top of my horns before the itch spread out to my entire body, rendering me immobile for a few seconds as my brain scrambled to keep up with all the new things I was feeling at that moment,
[A Connection is being formed.]
Accept / Refuse?
Accept! Please!
I let it run its course, keeping me stuck until it eventually faded away. With that over and done with, a new situation emerged and so did a new notification from the system as it popped into existence in front of me.
[You have now been linked with your Acolytes. You are now the Overmind that directly controls and manipulates them. This does not relate to your already chosen ability to form Aura connections with chosen Grimm.]
[They do not benefit from upgraded intelligence, communication or any that would otherwise benefit something like your chosen minion. They are simply an extension of you. They are your new arms, legs and eyes to explore and see the wider world in!]
Guess I should open the Overlord ability...
[Overlord (Apprentice) (2/?) Lv21 (Passive/Active) EXP: 0.0%: A lord over other lords, a lord paramount to what they are and the individuals they lead. This is your ability to wield the power of an absolute / supreme ruler, to commandeer those and either consciously or unconsciously force them to bend to your will.
Passively increases the chance of dominating our chosen's mind by 10%, however if they are above your current level, this chance will decrease by 0.%% per level they have gained over you.
Actively increases the chance of dominating your opponents mind by 50%, however if they are above your current level, the chance will decrease by 2% per level they have gained over you.
You are currently dominating 1/3 individuals, the amount that you can currently dominate will increase by 1 for every 10 levels that you gain in the Overlord skill!
You can currently house 25 Beowolf Acolytes! The amount you can house is determined by the chosen Grimm you wish to bring forth and the level of the Overlord ability.]
Acolytes? What does that even mean?
Could Grimm get migraines? I feel like I was exploring this possibility more and more as they continued to stare with me. Or was it at me? This is getting a little confusing.
I approached one of the smaller Beowolves in front of me, one with a scar covering its left eye and as I approached it looked away from me, instead choosing to look down at the ground beneath me. Why? Why won't you look as you did before?
A plume of black smoke released itself from my jaws in irritation. The system said they were extensions of me, a part of my body and mind like everything else was. So what if I were to do this...
I pointed a singular claw at it and conjured up one word in my mind:
"Kill."
In an instant, the other Grimm dived on its location and it didn't even seem to put up a fight. It allowed itself to be torn asunder by each and every single Beowolf that had called on my word, my own decision. But with every strip of flesh torn from its body and for every limb ripped off viciously, it was hurting, it was hurting me as well. This is what it meant.
I think.
It doesn't have the higher intellect to process other emotions like happiness, fear or disgust. It just feels on instinct alone. And I feel its pain. I feel everything as its torn away, piece by piece. The base of my horns releases a singular wisp of smoke as the Beowolf finally disappears into naught.
I felt sudden movement behind me. I whipped my head around to look at the perpetrator to find nothing dangerous at all. What I instead found was the same Beowolf I had ordered to be killed, the same scar on its left eye, facing downwards. Totally fine. No outside markings of what had happened or anything.
That's actually kind of interesting. Can I keep these 25 with me forever, or is it something to do with my MP?
…
…
…
No help?
Alright. I'll have to experiment with it some other time. I'm not entirely sure what I could even use these for... They don't benefit from the same system me and Titan do, they literally are just normal Beowolves. Throwing them in front of any human would essentially be a death sentence for every single one of them.
Well, as normal as you could get. I'm not entirely sure the constant respawning counts as normal but, we'll make an exception this one time.
Let's get rid of them for now.
"Disappear."
…
They're still there...
"Go."
…
Nothing?
How do I send them back?!
I can't just lug around and keep a pack of these with me! I'll be too obvious and after fighting with that one human, I'm not entirely keen on getting spotted again. Or ambushed. Or literally anything of the like. These lot are just too obvious for now.
A snort from Titan cut through my thought process as he was staring at the sky. The sun had stopped shining and clouds were drawing near. Great. What a lovely amount of nothing I've done.
…What about the Dust Core I have? I've not even attempted to use it yet. Might as well try now?
And as expected, as soon as the thought even crossed my mind about the Dust Core still ominously hovering inside of me, a blue notification screen popped right into existence.
[You now have the ability to utilise dust to your whims on your journey. This Core allows you to utilise your aura in a more physical sense and will also allow you to use the Dust crystals you find on your way in extensive combat applications. It can also be used on any the parts on your body! Though... Try to think about it before mashing crystals together just for the sake of it. Happy Hunting!]
I'll... Try to?
How do I even start this. Do I just... Grab a Dust crystal out my inventory and stick it in the Core?
Might as well try. I opened my inventory and looked around for the specific crystal I was using previously in the fight beforehand. One of those lightning Dust crystals that were refined.
I grabbed one from the void and looked at it, it shined just as brilliantly as ever with its bright yellow glow.
Another notification soon popped up.
[Do you wish to insert 1x Lightning Dust Crystal (Refined) into your Dust Core?]
Yes!
It disappeared from my claws instantly, dissolving into nothing more than specks of light before a feeling of pure energy made its way all across my body, before crashing down slowly and carefully. I looked down at the Dust Core as best I could and I found a faint yellow wisp inside, its dark maroon colour being overtaken with something opaque. But inside laid that singular strand of yellow, dancing around inside of me.
[To develop a weak affinity for Lightning. You will need to input another 4x Lightning Dust Crystals (Refined) OR another 16x Lightning Dust Crystals (Unrefined).]
[Would you like to input another 4 Lightning Dust Crystals (Refined) into your Dust Core so as to reach the weak affinity for it?]
I feel like I'm constantly repeating myself at this point. I hope these pop-ups disappear so I can just do it myself!
A long sigh released itself from my jaws.
Yes.
And that was apparently the entirely WRONG decision to take. For as soon as I said yes to input all those refined dust crystals inside of my core, a massive jolt of energy overtook me and I sped off into the forest. I was alive. I was living in the moment! In that singular instant, I was the wind and a growing tension built up inside of me as I continued to speed off from my location. When all that built up tension became too much, I think I exploded.
I don't exactly remember what happened. And I'm not going to ask a literal meathead like Titan what I did when I was off my insane rush of speed. But what I do know is that I woke up about 6 feet deep in a pit. Wisps and jolts of electricity surrounded all around me in the pit, slightly tickling me as those jolts made their way across my makeshift armor. It was slightly smoking as well.
I looked down at my core. What was once but a faint, bleak yellow light had evolved into a bright yellow sun, caged up all inside me. It swirled and twisted inside, long streaks of black occasionally making their way alongside the onslaught of pure yellow.
And as I looked down at my claws, I could see that the core was affecting them too. A current made their way between each individual claw, sparking them up brightly against the dirt and muck of the pit.
I looked up and saw Titan and all the other Beowolves surrounding the pit in a surprisingly orderly fashion. Each looking down with a dull look in their red eyes but Titan... He looked interested, intrigued almost.
At least I hope that's intrigue. I don't want to imagine what kind of nightmares exist in that ape's imagination.
But... This? This is exciting!
I can't wait to see what happens when I put in the other pieces of Dust!
Let's get to it!
Whilst all so unaware...
Saturn was not happy.
Not happy at all.
A dark scowl embedded itself on her face as she marched forwards.
Training new and frankly annoying recruits for several hours each day was one thing. But lugging around mountains of paperwork between offices was something entirely different. Why was she just chosen at will to be the pre-determined paperwork pusher?
There's tens of hundreds of actual meatheads out there that could probably do the job just as well as she could. Actually, with the lack of brains and common sense some of these kids had, they'd probably mess something as stupidly easy as moving paper from one room to another up somehow.
Still. She's a captain! This work ain't meant for someone like her. She was meant to be out there on this sunny day, exploring and fighting off the growing amount of Grimm outside the walls. Out there on the battlefield is where she truly belonged, she could never be like Karl and be a pen-pusher all day for months on end. It'd drive her absolutely fucking crazy.
Never mind that she had to carry said paperwork carefully, whilst climbing a flight of stairs to the third floor. In all honesty, with Aura, it wasn't exactly a hard thing to do, but she'd been running ragged literally all day and her arms were feeling a little like jelly at the moment. This wasn't exactly the prime situation to get stuck in...
Nevertheless, she did it. It took her several minutes and a numerous amount of times when a sheet slipped off, she may have nearly blown her gasket on some poor, unsuspecting soul. It wasn't her fault! They shouldn't have been there when she was. Simple.
And as she kicked the door open to Karl's office, hoping to finally find him in his actual workplace for once, he wasn't. It laid bare to her. It was empty as can be, and it seemed to have been empty the entire day. Stacks of paperwork were piling up in mass and it was starting to crowd out what should have been a relatively large table into a tight space. She didn't dare to move or budge any of the paperwork out of the way for she feared for the stability of said stacks, mounting so high off the table and already holding a bunch in her hands, she wasn't sure she had the hand to eye coordination to achieve such a feat.
Still, she found a small deserted spot on one corner and abruptly dropped all she had onto that space, hoping to whatever God there was to allow her to never see another batch of paperwork ever again. She'd rather take the forge instead.
Karl disappearing at random wasn't something that they'd ever questioned before, he always came back on time and did his work when it counted so why not? But this is clearly different. Mountains on mountains of paperwork without a single one done? And he still decides it's a better idea to go gallivanting?
And this resulted in one specific line of questioning being brought forth in her mind. One that likely should have already been asked.
Where exactly was Karl?
And that's another one down. And with this, I've finally breached that 50k word count mark for a single fic. Didn't think I'd actually get this far, or write this much on one single fic ngl but look where we are. Crazy. I've got nothing much to say on this little AN though, just that I hope I can continue to improve and pump out this things on a semi-regular basis for you.
As always, reviews and critiques are always accepted.
Thanks 4 reading.